MusicalNorth East & YorkshireReview

The Addams Family – The Alhambra, Bradford

Reviewer: Jay Nuttall

Music and Lyrics: Andrew Lippa

Book: Marshall Brickman & Rick Elice

Director: Matthew White

It is a long way from Halloween but the beauty of the creation of The Addams Family means that it always seems like All Hallows Eve in the company of this infamous spooky clan. Made most popular by the 1964 TV show, the family make-up need no introduction. Existing as a musical for a little over ten years this fun production tours the UK until summer.

It is easy to see why producers and creatives created a musical stage show of the kookiest family on the planet. The larger than life characters effortlessly translate from screen to stage and there is much humour to be drawn in a house where it is the norm to sleep in coffins or a dismembered body part lends a ‘hand’ to the family dynamic. Many plots and trials have troubled the Addams clan over the years in countless incarnations on TV and film. This outing largely focusses on Wednesday (Kingsley Morton) who, now a young adult, has fallen in love and plans to marry her ‘normal’ soul mate, Lucas (Ahmed Hamad). She is growing up. “She’ll be Thursday before you know it” quips Gomez (Cameron Blakely). The plot centres upon the introduction of the parents. Mal and Alice – meet Gomez and Morticia … and Fester, Grandma, Pugsley and Lurch … oh – and all the ghouls of the mansion too! What is nice about this take is how relatable this story is to the seemingly unrelatable. Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice’s book addresses the insecurities everyone feels around their own ooky family. Everyone’s nearest and dearest aren’t really ‘normal’, right? And the union of two kinfolk always brings this to the fore. Wednesday’s anxieties, however, may be in a different league!

Cameron Blakely has a tremendous amount of fun playing patriarch Gomez – caught between loyalty to the most important women in his life – his daughter and his wife. Joanne Clifton’s Morticia glides around the stage with fluidity, seductively ensnaring all that meet her. Kingsley Morton is allowed to show off her powerful vocals in the role of Wednesday, questioning what is normal and insisting she may be crazier than her boyfriend. Grant McIntyre doesn’t have an enormous amount to do as Pugsley other than lament the loss of opportunities to be tortured by his older sister who now has a different boy to play with. Scott Paige as Uncle Fester has more of the narrator role and becomes an audience favourite with his witticisms and lullaby to his love – the moon! Special mention must be made to Abigail Brodie – lifted from ensemble to step into the role of Alice (mother of Lucas) for this performance. In a time when understudying in theatre is proving crucially important, she excels in the role – having an enormous amount of fun exploring a darker side and awakening a younger, more exciting version of herself.

For all the entertainment this show offers it does lack something vitally important – story. The meeting of the families is a plot device that is might have filled a half hour episode on TV but doesn’t stand up to a full length musical piece. We are treated to a little more story in the second half as marriages begin to fracture but, in essence, The Addams Family Musical is collection of songs about the family rather than anything that carries a narrative structure. It is a shame because as enjoyable as all the numbers are an audience’s attention begins to wane without a hook, jeopardy or stakes. Themes in songs become a little repetitive and the action becomes more about doing than actually doing.

There are some extremely enjoyable performances from all of the cast. The show sells itself to all ages and is a fine family treat for an evening of escapism. But don’t expect much more than that with a click of the fingers to the famous theme tune.

Runs until 5th February 2022

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The Yorkshire & North East team is under the editorship of Jacob Bush. The Reviews Hub was set up in 2007. Our mission is to provide the most in-depth, nationwide arts coverage online.

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