The Addams Family – Bord Gais Theatre – Review

Photo credit – Matt Martin
Find out more about the Addams Family Musical here.

Until August 26th

The younger members of the Addams family are growing up fast. Wednesday Addams is now a teenager and has fallen in love. The young girl who would poison her brother just so she could have a ride in an ambulance has changed. The object of her passion is even more surprising. He is your typical clean-cut high school student, a boy called Lucas from Ohio! She met him when she was out hunting in Central park and things moved quickly from there. Now his family are coming to dinner at the Addams family residence and there are a few surprises in store for them!

The Addams family started life as a cartoon strip written by Charles Addams in the New Yorker in 1938. It was then converted into the much loved TV show which ran on ABC in 1964 for two series and 64 episodes. The Addams were next incarnated in the Barry Sonnefeld series of films, the Addams Family (1991) and Addams Family Values (1993). These films starred Anjelica Huston as Morticia and Christopher Lloyd as Uncle Fester. It also launched the career of Christina Ricci as Wednesday Addams. The Addams Family musical comedy opened on Broadway in 2010 and has toured widely since in a variety of productions. It has music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa, and book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. Marshall Brickman is known for his long time collaboration with Woody Allen, and co-wrote Sleeper and Manhattan among others. Rick Elice wrote the book of Broadway hit Jersey Boys.

This production of the Addams Family has a number of household names in its cast. Samantha Womack of Eastenders stars as Morticia and Les Dennis of Coronation Street is Uncle Fester. One of the most impressive actors on the night was Cameron Blakely who plays a high octane version of Gomez, giving the Spanish lover much charm.

With such rich source material to draw from, this production is visually very impressive. The Addams family mansion is created with its various dungeons, creepy dining rooms and imposing stone steps. It is all you would expect from a production of this size, which is currently touring the UK. Dublin and Belfast are the only Irish stops on this tour.

This musical is relatively new and you won’t know too many, if any, of the songs. There are some good tunes in there, but the humour is where it really comes alive. It works best as a comedy, much as the original TV show did, and with Marshall Brickman collaborating on the book, it comes as no real surprise. The first Act explores the darker side of things, with tales of their dastardly and fiendish ways. The second Act focuses on the music and the various love stories and is less successful. Overall, it’s an enjoyable and funny romp that is visually very strong and is aimed at the full family.