Presented at Salford University's New Adelphi Theatre, this was Manchester's Arden Theatre Company's Musical Theatre graduating class's farewell production... 'The Addams Family'. A kooky but fun show based on the famous cartoon.
A scaffold arch on two levels hid the band and created the framework of the Addams's house. However, scant attempt at decorating this scaffold had been made, and it looked very bare and unconvincing. Happily however, costuming, characterisations, interpretations, choreography etc, all worked well here. The sound levels were occasionally too high, and the band (under the direction of Sam Coates) didn't have the same professional sound / quality as it had for 'Pippin'.
The storyline of this musical by Andrew Lippa takes us a little further along the timeline from the cartoons, as Wednesday is now a teenager and growing up fast (she'll be Thursday very soon...!), and furthermore she is love...with a "normal" boy she meet in Central Park who comes from Ohio. The plot involves her telling her parents she intends to marry him, and inviting him and his parents over for dinner. (...and the Game!).
Directed by Michael Peavoy, the pace and mood was set right from the start with an animated and spirited (pun intended) version of 'When You're An Addams', with the principal characters clearly defined.
Bradley Lomond totally embodied the role of Gomez, producing a sensitivity to the character not normally seen. A strong all-round performance. Working excellently alongside him was Paige Peann, looking every inch like the cartoon, as Morticia. I loved her rendition of my favourite song from the show, 'Just Around The Corner'. Again, taking more of the cartoon characterisation on board in this interpretation was a sullen, po-faced, and irritating (in a good way) Wednesday Addams, played with elan by Elizabeth Rayworth. The other character to impress over and above was Elena Mitchell as Alice Beineke, and her interpretation of her difficult solo 'Waiting' was certainly one of the best (if not the best) this reviewer has yet to see.
This doesn't mean that this production was flawless, and in this reviewer's most subjective opinion I failed to understand why Mal Beineke was female and a part of a lesbian couple, when other actresses in both this and 'Pippin' were playing male roles without issue; and Eddie Thomlinson-Cliffe's Uncle Fester was too obviously male to be truly of non-specific gender. 'The Moon And Me' song was perhaps the weakest link in this otherwise excellent and very strong show, with a follow-spot which failed to accurately follow the moon on its journey; whilst some of the jokes in the script were missed or not given time to land; a skill which only really comes from experience.
However, this was a fast-paced and very enjoyable show, delivered by graduating students who have proved themselves ready to tackle this most precarious of professions.
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 26.5.23
on - 26.5.23
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