Presentation

This is the first time I have seen a youth production of The Addams Family and I was unsure of the ability of such a young team to deliver the nuances that this show demands. However, I had no reason to be apprehensive. From the moment this performance began, the audience was in for a treat and I was to be amazed at the talent on display from the whole company.

This wonderfully macabre musical comedy deals with the tensions in most families when daughters grow up and choose a partner that is not what her parents hope for. This juxtaposition of the every day issues of secrecy, loyalty and love with the ghoulish characteristics of the Addams family is the bedrock of much of the comedy. Alongside the main story line, there are some delightful counter issues that enrich the show and this group of clever youngsters delivered all of this with aplomb.

The set was simple and very clever, just right for the small stage in this theatre. It was nice to see the use of the gates in the central area. The upper level and staircase might have been used a little more as it was there, but I really liked the use of doors and stairs as the Ancestors appeared and disppeared during the ensemble numbers, particularly in One Normal Night.

My only niggle was the movement of the curtains across the stage at various points. It felt like these set changes were a bit chaotic and occasionally detracted from the pace of the show. Was there a late change in stage management I wonder?

It was also good to see the Ancestors appearing in the auditorium and walking through the audience.

Fester’s lifting of the curtain at the beginning of Act 2 was also a nice touch. All in all, this was a very well directed show and I am impressed with all that Aaron achieved in bringing this group of young people together with such performance discipline and rigour.

Lighting was effective. I liked the moon image Stage Right and the use of deep coloured spots at the end of many of the numbers.

Choreography was well designed and I could see the hard work that had gone into ensuring strong movements across the stage and effective set pieces and tableaus. Right from the start I could see that the choreography was going to be on point. The ‘Secrets’ number was really well directed and I could see the collaboration of the director and the choreographers when the female ancestors emerged. And I particularly enjoyed the dance routines in Act 2 ‘Live Before We Die’. Well done to Meg and George for using people wisely and creating some lovely dramatic scenes.

The band was tightly managed and provided a very strong rhythmic bed for the story and support for the vocalists. As a Musical Director myself, I know the challenges of delivering a strong musical line without overpowering the performers on stage. It was a sensitive and thoughtful performance from this group of musicians. Well done Will.

The sound balance was really good and there were only a few times when that got out of sync – certainly nothing to disrupt the flow of the performances.

Costumes were exactly on point. I particularly liked the pale colour palette of the ancestors, enhanced by some good white lighting. And Mortitia had exactly the voluptuous balck number that we were expecting. Fester’s white bald head worked well and I think his costume really helped to establish his energetic and child-like demeanour.

I left the theatre having been thoroughly entertained and in awe of the accomplishments of the whole company. We are vey fortunate to have this talent in the city of Bristol and I am sure that many of you will go on to take on some of the big roles in musical theatre as you develop your skills even further.

Gomez Addams

From the moment you kicked off this show, I knew that we were in for a great performance. I am amazed at the maturity you brought to this role. You portrayed the devoted husband and father with such skill and your vocal performance was a triumph. I was transported into the story and totally forgot how young you are. Something about the confidence that you possessed as you strutted across the stage in one moment and then minced along around your wife to gain her favour was very impressive. I was also very impressed that you established and maintained a very realistic accent throughout the show and this served to underpin your character right from the start. Your inner struggle to keep your daughter’s secret was palpable and we had such sympathy for your plight. I loved your optimism and enthusiasm for the hopeful outcome of the drama as it unfolded.

You were the bedrock of the story and you were rarely off stage. With eight or more vocal numbers to learn, I was totally impressed with your performance. Your pitch was perfect and you took care of the more challenging musical phrases whilst maintaining crisp diction throughout. A highlight for me was that number you had in the second act – ‘Happy/Sad’ which opened us up to a more sensitive Gomez and this showed real maturity. And in ‘Not Today’ you were just performance with a backcloth and a chair, but everyone was spellbound. What a talent you have Finn, congratulations.

Mortitia Addams

You are the matriarch and definitely the one in charge of this family. This character is witty, glamourous and uses all her wiles to get her own way. From the outset I could see that you had worked hard on your movements across stage and your elegant but sensuous poses. I can tell you’ve had a lot of experience on stage and this was evident from your confident performance that you clearly enjoyed from start to finish. You were winding poor Gomez around your little finger and we all enjoyed the power you had over him, as well as the strong relationship you had with your daughter. I really liked the raised head position that you maintained, as this delivered an arrogant pose that we need to see from Mortitia. ‘Just Around the Corner’ was a show highlight for me with a strong vocal line and great comic timing and I could see that you were revelling in that performance.

Wednesday Addams

If this was your debut Daisy, then you have a good future ahead of you on stage. We could hear every word of your lines and your vocal performance. You did a lot of fast moving around stage and sometimes when you did this, your lines got a little rushed, but often that was a nice contrast to your besotted beau Lucas. Just be mindful of that in other roles you take on. And sometimes your vocals became a bit shouty in your attempt to be angry. This is a common problem and I would advise you to take some coaching on that because your voice is a precious asset.

Wednesday has a dark exterior but inside she is softer and wants her parent’s support, particularly her father’s. This contrast makes the character believable. In a nutshell, every teenager can empathise with Wednesday’s conflict, between wanting to be loyal to her family and wanting to move with the times and breakaway to pursue her own future. She’s more like her mother than she’d like to admit and we saw that subtlties in that thread of the story. This is a big role because your choices are central to the story. You delivered this character with real poise and care. Well done.

Pugsley Addams

This is a cameo role really and can sometimes get lost in the scheme of things. I was pleased that you made your mark in the show and we saw some delightful moments of your kooky character. I think you dealt with the separation anxiety of losing your sister really carefully, balancing the humour with the powerful emotional turmoil.

Fester Addams

Ah Fester! What a gift of a role this is. You can really immerse yourself in the enormour character that this role offers. In any normal family, you would probably be under lock and key, but somehow your goofy nature, which is always on the verge of something dangerous, manages to play a part in the emerging story. Your sole entrances and musical numbers were a delight. Fester’s Manifesto was really well delivered and you have a really strong and sensitive voice. ‘The Moon and Me’ was a delightful number and I liked the ballet dancers with you – a sensitive performance.

Grandma Addams

Good costume and wig ensured that we had no idea about the young person underneath and your croaky voice was well delivered. Maybe your experience playing Fagin helped you! I was impressed with your strong vocal lines and older shuffle across the stage. This is not a large part, but I was pleased that you dedicated yourself to it and were always aware of your interactions with others on stage.

Lucas Beineke

I feel a little sorry for Lucas. He’s just fallen in love with a very ‘different’ goth teenager, who is part of a very peculiar family. I’m sure he would have been hugely anxious about the prospect of introducing his parents to them all. And then he doesn’t quite have the bravery to escape with her. I loved the line: “I can be spontaneous. I just have to think about it.”! I’m not sure you had the solution but you went along with the story and kept your fingers crossed it was all going to work out.

Your diction was excellent, as was your posture on stage, which helped to project your softer lines. You have a delightful singing voice that just needs some work to sustain those longer phrases. But your delivery of this sweet character was spot on and I thoroughly enjoyed the normality of it against the madness of the Addams Family.

Alice Beineke

The main point of this character is your transformation from typical surburban mom, focused on your son Lucas, to someone with altogether wilder ambitions and you achieved this really well. At the start, you played the devoted mother and timid housewife, prone to rhyming your lines. Once you had drunk the potion we saw a new, more energetic Alice and this felt like a good opportunity to let your hair down and show us what you could do on stage. Your main solo ‘Waiting’ was a really strong performance and we could hear the full range of your voice.

Mal Benieke

You start the show as a rather grey and stuffy Midwest husband and father. Your distaste of the Addams family was well delivered and I liked the slower pace of your delivery, which was good contrast to the manic nature of Gomez and his overpowering wife Mortitia. I liked your exasperation with the rhymes that your wife delivers and that set up nicely the moment when you let go and reconnected with your more energetic and braver past. The dance with Alice in Crazier Than You was delightful but I felt that you could have both moved with more joy and uninhibited flamboyance. Just make sure that your lovely lyrical voice doesn’t get lost in those moments. Think about strengthening your lower vocal register. I can see that you have gained some amazing experience already and this was a polished performance.

Lurch

What a lovely part this is. Most of the time you are just shuffling around looking really weird and spooky. No lines to learn! But then at the end of the show, you get to sing! And we were all amazed. I loved the fact that your presence on stage was always noted and you made the most of your silent performance, appearing too old and decrepit. Well done on your slow and awkward gait and the uncovering of your voice in the second act.

Ancestors

This group is not just an ordinary ensemble. There are the characters in the lineage of the Addams family from various eras – bride and groom, ballet dancers, stewardess, saloon girl, flapper, pilgrim, conquistador, caveman, soldier, sailor... and we saw some really excellent individual performances from this group. You were all dedicated to your given characters and you were in the moment even though at times you were in the background on stage. I was so impressed with you all and I came away confident that a new generation of performers was emerging from this group.

This was a polished production that contained some really excellent performances. It was so nice to see young performers who were obviously enjoying their time on stage and I hope to see you again in future productions.

Thank you for warm welcome and I look forward to your next production.

CJW

07/06/2023

The Addams Family Musical is a delightfully macabre and entertaining musical that brings everyone's favourite creepy and kooky family to life on stage. With catchy tunes, witty dialogue, and a cast of eccentric characters, this musical adaptation successfully captures the essence of Charles Addams' original cartoons and the TV series. The story revolves around the impending visit of Wednesday Addams' "normal" boyfriend, Lucas Beineke, and his conservative parents, Alice and Mal, to the Addams family mansion. Wednesday is apprehensive about the meeting, fearing that their unusual lifestyle will scare off the Beinecke’s and ruin her chances for happiness. To complicate matters further, Wednesday has confided in her father Gomez that she and Lucas plan to marry, which leads Gomez into a state of secrecy, that eventually threatens to unravel the harmony of his marriage to his wife Morticia and the entire Addams household.

From the moment the curtain rises, we were transported to the eerie world of the Addams family. Gravestones and the family Crypt set in front of a lavish curtain. The set design showcased the gloomy yet grand Addams mansion, a staircase up to a second level provided variety and plenty of spots for the ancestors to hide away observing the action. Other scenes set in front of a variety of curtains, the star curtain was particularly effective. The lighting effects add a haunting ambiance, complementing the dark atmosphere of the story. You did seem to save some of your best effects for the very end of numbers. There are a few moments where the transitions between scenes could be smoother, creating a more seamless flow between scenes. Using the cast for the set up for the family dinner worked particularly well, maybe using them more throughout would have assisted with the flow of scenes. The Sound was well cued, occasionally the orchestra did overpower the vocals a little.

The Choreographers coped well with the range of dance styles in this musical from Ballet to Latin to the multiple suggestions from Gomez in “When You’re an Addams”.  It was well structured and pitched at the right level for the group. We particularly enjoyed the Tango sequence “Live Before We Die” and Fester’s ballet skills in “The Moon and Me” were a highlight. 

The musical numbers in The Addams Family blend a variety of styles, ranging from lively and upbeat songs to emotionally charged ballads. The Musical Director did a great job with the often-tricky harmonies in the score.

The costumes were great throughout, all in keeping and especially for the ancestors, a wide variety of genres and decades, not an easy job. A little pet peeve of mine is making sure the makeup is blended all the way down the neck, there were a few white faces and normal coloured necks. Properties were generally very good, though you did probably need something more on the dinner table, even for the end of the meal.

In reviewing the principal characters: Gomez Addams and Morticia Addams, were both exceptional, with great characterisations and vocals, portrayed with charm and wit, and their duets and comedic exchanges worked so well. Wednesday Addams has a voice beyond her years, “Pulled” was stunning, just maybe try for more variations in your dynamics in the dialogue. Pugsley portrayed the annoying younger brother so endearingly and with some lovely characterisation. Uncle Fester was a joy, with his eccentric antics and quirks. Grandma also had some lovely physical characterisations getting some great laughs from the audience. Mal Beineke I really enjoyed the dance movements as your character began to unleash his inner rock star. Alice Beineke some great vocals, and a fabulous transformation in “Full Disclosure” Wednesday’s “Normal” Boyfriend Lucas interpreted this role really well. His voice blended beautifully with Wednesday. Lurch, a difficult character to play, managed well with your deadpan reactions and grunts.

The ensemble all had their own individual characters from various times in history, and all had their own little quirks and distinct personalities, that they all maintained well throughout, haunting the mansion, and contributing to the musical numbers with their lively performances. There were some exceptional performers in the ensemble, that I kept being drawn to throughout, some to watch out for in the future.

Congratulations to everyone involved on a great performance.

PLEASE NOTE:

Any observation made by the reviewer can only be based on what he sees at the performance in question.  The reviewer may have received information in advance of the performance, and it is inevitable that his assessment will be effected by that knowledge.

The N.O.D.A. Representative’s intention is to give an objective critique of the overall production and in particular the performance viewed.  It should be remembered that any review of this nature can only be objective as far as the techniques used during the performance observed.  Any criticisms expressed may not have been valid at other performances, and are only made to encourage higher standards in Amateur Theatre.

It is hoped that the audience’s appreciation of your efforts will have given everyone a lift and encouraged you to greater achievements in the future and that the observations made by the reviewer will prove helpful in improving future productions.