Manchester University Gilbert and Sullivan Society opened their run of The Addams Family musical last night at the students’ union theatre on Oxford Road, Manchester.
The Addams Family is a new musical which contains a number of very pleasing and catchy songs, more than a few of which are surprisingly difficult for both ensemble and soloists. Nevertheless, each number was sung with relish and from such a small cast – 17 members in total – a solid sound was made with some pleasing harmonies.
The familiar characters from the Addams Family TV series are all there – Gomez and Morticia, Uncle Fester, Lurch, Grandma and the two Addams children – Wednesday and Pugsley. It is a testament to the original show that these characters – essentially stock comedy characters – were played with depth.
The set for this production was simple and effective, with one setting from start to finish and various props and scene changes handled by the ensemble members. It is obvious that this society do not get much external funding for their productions, which is a shame – particularly as the vast majority of the audience were in their early twenties. Although the costumes were hired and looked really effective, a bit more money could have lifted this show to another level without much effort. Stage mics for the cast – be it head sets or ambient mics – would have made a huge difference. I was on the fourth row from the front and at times some lyrics and dialogue were lost even though the band was sensitive to what was happening on stage. It seemed very old fashioned to watch a musical with no microphones and made me wonder how they ever did it in the past, with a full band or orchestra. The band itself was humble – two reeds, drums and keyboard – but they provided a tasteful live music element and I am glad that they didn’t use pre-recorded backing tracks. The conductor was possibly not needed or may have been better employed leading from an instrument and adding more colour to the band. In saying that, the musicians played extremely well and there was an authentic sound for this show which combines some traditional musical theatre styles with latin and jazz elements. If I had one complaint, it would be that the keyboard was too quiet and had little depth at all times – I suspect there was a struggle to balance the band with the ensemble, nevertheless an amp or direct input would have allowed for more control of sound.
The premise of The Addams Family is relatively simple – Wednesday Addams gets engaged to a ‘normal’ boy from a ‘normal’ family. She wants both sets of parents to meet but while she tells Gomez that they are engaged, she makes him promise to keep that a secret from Moritica until after the dinner, just to see that they all get on. Mayhem ensues and tension builds in a fast moving first act with many laughs from the audience. In true Gilbert and Sullivan style, there are some ad-libbed lines which are clever and add to the enjoyment. The first act ends in full crisis mode with some fantastic performances from the main cast. It is hard to single out any of the performances but Gomez, Fester, Wednesday and Alice, the future mother in law, really shone out.
The second act of this show sees the various crises resolved quickly and without much complexity. It is a shame that this act did not have the same pace and tension of narrative as the first, but that is no fault of MUGGS who kept the show going with equal energy and humour as they gave in the first act.
MUGGS’ The Addams Family is an amateur production that really entertains and the less professional aspects of this production do not detract from a full throttle, high energy performance that will make you laugh and laugh again.
Reviewer - Aaron Loughrey
on - 28/11/18
Correction: The costumes weren't hired, they were either sourced from the society's props store, from cast members' own wardrobes or were made by members of the society who are experienced at making clothes.
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