The Ella Performance Group, part of the Ella Together Company in Runcorn, are a troupe dedicated to inclusivity and boast many members who have both physical and mental disabilities, including those with severe learning difficulties, and somehow, manage to incorporate these as seamlessly as possible into their productions. Something which takes love, skill, and dedication, but if this production of The Addams Family is anything to go by, then the fruits of their labours paid off several times over.
In this main stage production directed by Keily Hampson Wilson and Rachael Lindsay, we follow the travails of the soi-disant, titular family as they negotiate Wednesday's pubescent love-affair with a 'normal' boy and his parents, who are invited to dinner.
All the familiar Addams favourites are present (minus 'Hand'), but both Wednesday and therefore Pugsley are, in this version, somewhat older than in their original cartoon incarnation.
Heading the cast is Joseph Maloney and Niamh Ledsham as husband and wife duo, Gomes and Morticia respectively. Both gave solid and considered performances, finding their own ways through the extremely well-known behaviours of their characters with ease. The pivotal role of Wednesday was performed this evening by Darcey Hampson, who simply stole the show in her every scene. Her rendition of 'Pulled', a notoriously difficult song, was incredible, and she proved to be a strong and immediate actress. The other members of this disparate and kooky family came in the form of Grandma (Stevie Corry), Thomas Hampson (Pugsley), Aidan Caroll (Festor), and Stevan Morst (Lurch), all bringing their own respective talents to the table.
Corbyn Wilding gave a solid and believable rendition of Wednesday's love interest, Lucas; whilst his parents were played by Mathew Cowley (Malcolm) and Emma McGhee (Alice).
The stage set was minimalist in the extreme. A walkway across the rear with a ramp / steps, and nothing else -although everything that was brought in for each scene was suitably covered in cobwebs! A large screen at the rear of the stage was utilised to fill in the set and location for each scene with computerised projections. It worked, but was not optimal, and sadly the lightning effect used in the outdoor scenes was rather distracting.
The company used a live band this evening, comprising bass guitar, keyboards and drum kit. Sadly the sound levels were not correct this evening, and as such we had an overloud overture, and drum-heavy accompaniments to every song. I enjoyed the choreography of the 'dancecestors', and the idea of having those as well as a chorus of more normal ancestors worked well in relation to the full integration of the company members.
Costuming was again very good, and the mise-en-scene solid and the storyline understandable and narrative-led. However, the use of creative specials from the lighting design was focus-pulling and distracting. I didn't understand why such specials were used in almost every song, and they were deflecting sadly.
However, all-in-all, a very enjoyable presentation from a company that truly cares about bringing people from all walks of life and areas of the community together to celebrate their love of theatre and performance in a most creative way. Bravo!
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 19.2.23
on - 19.2.23
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