Basics Junior Theatre School are based in Burnley, and I had heard very positive reports about this group, with a couple of the reviewing team having already seen their previous shows and raved about them. I decided it was about time I made the trip from Manchester to the windswept Witch-infested countryside town of Colne and their Hippodrome Theatre to see their latest endeavour; the spooky, ooky and kooky musical that is, 'The Addams Family'.
As both a huge fan of musicals and a reviewer I have seen this musical countless times over the past few years, but never have I seen before one which incorporated both Cousin Itt and Thing; two members of the Addams Family which were not written in to this musical* - [just one of the concessions made by writers Lippa, Brickman and Elice] - so deftly and creatively, without losing any of the original book or humour and indeed adding greatly to the weirdness, tapping into our childhood memories of cartoons and TV series.
The other major change within this musical is making Wednesday almost Thursday! She is now older than Pugsley, in the full flow of adolescence and in love... with a very normal young man from Ohio!
An imaginative composite set was used throughout, which showed the Addams's house interior to one side, whilst the stage left area was the park and the graves. The Hippodrome also has areas to either side of and in front of the prosc. arch which here were turned into the family cellar full of instruments of torture, and the other side the a park bench, tree, and a taxi stand (a nice touch). This did not really leave much room of the stage for a huge amount of choreography, but what they did do, under Lydia Cooke, worked excellently and was always within the capabilities of those charged with performing it. Larger set items were brought in and out as necessary, although at times, these slowed the pace down a little too much; this was especially true with Pugsley's bed; and for such a short scene it seemed a little unnecessary, especially when we didn't get the monster-under-the-bed joke.
The directing (Philip Hindle) was solid and secure, as well as being creative and inspired. The storyline was clearly structured within the mayhem, and Hindle made certain that the characters did not become caricatures of themselves, with all these 'oddities' staying the right side of believability and sympathy at all times.
Heading this youthful but highly talented cast was Felix Snowden as the head of the Addams household, Gomez. His Spanish accent did falter a little at times, but his characterisation and bravado made certain he was always in control. Snowden has a lovely stage presence and his understanding of his role and the journey his character takes were excellently placed. There was however, one rather irritating and disappointing element here, and that was with his hair. I am uncertain whether or not this was his own hair or a wig, but either way, it was too bouffant and he was also very conscious of it too. Every time he turned profile his face was completely lost to the audience and that was a real shame.
His wife, Morticia was played with panache by the very capable Ava-Grace Gregson; whilst Wednesday was performed by Beatrix Higgingson {her rendition of 'Pulled was excellently interpreted and one of the best I have thus far heard}. Pugsley was a diminutive Hughie Higginson, with a lovely singing voice {'What If' was delightful}.[Perhaps a pillow under his shirt would have made him the rotund child that he is in earlier versions]. Luke Esden made the most of his love affair with the moon as Uncle Fester; Carlyn Bell nicely underplayed her role as Grandma making it a more believable person than the usual ridiculous OTT performances I have become used to; Freddy Adams was a lurchful Lurch with a lovely sonorous low baritone singing voice when he was given the opportunity of using it; and Kayley Corrigan made the most of her added role of Cousin Itt. I have to be honest here, but I did not truly understand the inclusion of the flapper girl as Itt's 'girlfriend'. Perhaps this is because I have scant recollection of the original cartons and TV shows, I don't know; but it was never truly clear who she was and why she was there.
Lucas Beineke, the young man at the centre of the musical's storyline, the first true love of Wednesday, was played with sincerity and plaintive charm by Charlie Birtwistle. His father Mal was played with an air of assured nervousness and disconcertedness (an interesting oxymoron) by Harris Rafferty; and his mother, Alice, was Julie Forrest. Forrest was, for this reviewer at least, the "star" of the show. Her stage presence and characterisation were second-to-none, and her rendition of 'Waiting', easily the most difficult song in the whole show and comes at a most crucial plot point within the show was simply amazing. Admittedly the song was taken a tad slower than normal - ditto to the whole show actually, as Musical Director Andrew Mitchell sensibly decided to allow the lyrics - and therefore the story - to take precedence over the correct tempos of the musical numbers. This had the effect of creating a much more solid story and our understanding of the story and the characters greatened. In fact. my companion commented that this was the first show of The Addams Family where she has understood every single word from every single character!
A chorus of talented ancestors completed the cast, and their singing and dancing, as well as their silent presence greatly helped the overall effect of this show. As of course, did the LX design, which worked well throughout, and good sound levels too.
Basics Junior Theatre School most certainly lived up to their reputation, and then some...! A highly proficient and hugely enjoyable production, and I hope to see much more from this proficient team whatever they choose to do next.
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 12.10.23
* Since publishing this review, I have been most reliably informed that both Cousin Itt and Thing are written into the libretto. Obviously I have never seen it, and so basing my assumption on my previous experiences of watching this musical, I have to say I am very surprised. Thing makes the odd appearence from time to time, but it is only the second, or perhaps third, time that Cousin Itt has been a part of the show.... even the professional UK tour chose to omit this role.
No comments:
Post a Comment