My second Addams Family in as many weeks, and even though I have seen this Musical more times recently than any other Musical I am still finding new things in there, and still being delighted by each directors' individual quirks and spins.
Essentially the characters of the Addams family themselves are already so well known that any even slight deviation of characteristaion might be considered too much, however, there is also a need for each actor / actress to put something of themsleves into each role and make those characters their own. This evening's cast were the absolute perfect example of this. The characters of Gomez and Morticia Addams with their daughter Wednesday and son Pugsley; along with Grandma, Uncle Fester and Lurch, still kept much from the original scribblings of Charles Addams, the TV cartoons which followed, and even from the subsequent film, but there were also plenty of things within these characters to make them fresh, new, alive and individual too.
John Weetman played the aging Latin Lover role with earnestness and realism, and this really worked for him, whilst his wife Morticia (Shelley Roberts) was languid and cynical, seemingly, at first, more concerned with her own beauty than the happiness of her children. Sarah Howarth's dominant and forceful Wednesday balanced well against Holly-May Hughes' Pugsley. It was the first time I have seen a girl fill this role, and 15-year old Hughes was outstanding. There wan never even one second of her stage time that I was even slightly aware she wasn't a chubby, awkward, selfish, and petulant young boy.
James Earnshaw as Uncle Fester, an 'uncle' of questionable gender, who falls in love with the moon, provides solid comedy and support to the family. Never going over the top, and always keeping his character firmly grounded, despite the ludicrousness of his actions, was superb. Comedy came too from Grandma (Andrea Loasby), and although very much a 'supporting role' she made the most of her stage time. Lurch (Jack Forrest) is perhaps the hardest character to pull off in this musical. Needing to be tall, slow and monosyllabic, and yet have a sonorous bass-baritone voice for the final song is not an easy ask for even the professionals; but when faced with casting this role for a local amateur group it could be quite problematic. Ingeniously, the height issue was solved by Forrest wearing enormous platform shoes, which, whether intentional or not, forced him to walk much slower and more carefully than normal anyway! A 'golden moment' of the whole show for me was his expression when Mrs. Beineke pressed his hands to her bosom! And yes, he did have a deep and sonorous singing voice too!
Excellent support was given from the Beineke family. Jon Crebbin's naturalistic style very much working for him, and his transformation from middle-aged slouch to young-at-heart was excellently measured. A very pleasing stage presence and easy to watch. His wife, Alice was played by Sarah Thewlis, and she too gave her all to this role; transforming from a typical doting and perhaps over-protective mother to a 'new woman' with ease. Her rendition of 'Waiting' which came between the final song of act one, 'Full Disclosure' was superb. Wednesday's love interest - in fact, fiance - Lucas Beineke (Liam Dodd) looked a little too old, but his acting ability shone through making his a youthful and very 'teenage' Lucas.
The musical also requires a chorus of dead ancestors. In fact the musical starts in typical morbid and black-humoured fashion with the family standing outside the graveyard summoning the ghosts of their dead ancestors. It is a yearly tradition, but on this occasion, Fester won't allow them back until they have helped him to help Wednesday and Lucas in their marriage quest. Dressed all in white and white faces, these ghosts were in costumes suggesting many different eras and occupations, and as well as being an all-singing. all-dancing line up for several of the songs, they appear in Harry Potter-esque moving portraits on the walls, and glide in and out unseen by the Beinekes. [another lovely moment was right at the end, the ancestors are 'visible' to the Beinekes as they are now part of the Addams' fanily and they acknowledge each other for the first time before going back to their graves].
The singing, especially the choral singing and the harmonies, were lovely all evening, and the choreography, although minimal and very simple, was such that all could amply manage and there were some nice pictures created with good use of available stage space.
The set was excellent. Heywood Civic Centre is one of the hardest stages I know to dress. It hasn't much depth and yet is very long with two extraneous wings either side of the main prosc. arch. However, this evening one of these areas became the graveyard with the family vault, and the other the torture chamber which is used in two scenes. Centre of course was the main room of the Addams' house complete with central staircase, balcony, fireplace and chaise-longue. The pictures of the ancestors along the back wall, with the most recent family portrait, centre. A few nice touches of animal cadavers etc along the way.
The lighting design was creative and interesting, however, this evening the operator was very slow on cues, meaning the light only hit the required spot seconds after the actor was already there. Further, some of the spots were not large enough, leaving some of the actors in partial shadow. Too much emphasis was given to creating colourful 'pop concert' style effects and not enough on making sure the actors were fully lit and not casting unwanted shadows.
David Abendstern directed the musical numbers this evening, and with a rather large band on the area between the two side stage extensions, the music was in safe and secure hands. Sound levels during the music were generally good, and the music never overpowered the singers. However, when speaking, the mic levels could have done to have been lowered somewhat.
Overall, director Jo Weetman has created a very recognisable Addams Family adding a few of her own touches along the way keeping the production smooth and tight, meaning a very enjoyable and entertaining evening. Congratulations to all.
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 13/3/19
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