Addams Family... Ten Years Later

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Addams Family... Ten Years Later

Posted: 4/8/20 at 1:58pm

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/07/theater/addams-family-musical-history.html

The Addams Family got a nice write up in the Times yesterday. The degree of success the show found in regional & amateur houses after its turbulent preview/Broadway run is certainly inspiring.

Addams Family... Ten Years Later

Posted: 4/8/20 at 3:39pm

I thought it was a show that in no way replicated the wit of the Addams cartoons nor the cleverness of the t.v. series. It had bland music and amateurish lyrics. But it's easy to see why it would be popular with high schools.

No idea if the changes rectify these problems or not.

Updated On: 4/8/20 at 03:39 PM

Addams Family... Ten Years Later

Posted: 4/8/20 at 3:53pm

Every year, I am reminded of this so in my "memories" feature when I get the memories from the time BEFORE I saw the show. When I got the tickets and my excited countdown to see the show. And I always chuckle a bit like, OH... you fool. You have no idea the world of disappointment you are in for with this mess of a show.

The show went on after the fact to alter things enough to fix it at least enough that it's able to find the love regionally now but oh that original production. What a total misdirected, miscast mess of a production it was.

Addams Family... Ten Years Later

Posted: 4/8/20 at 5:23pm

I agree with the previous two posters. It's nice that the show found its niche after being tweaked, but the show on Broadway was more of a horror show than it was meant to be. I vaguely recall one funny line (something about Morticia's dress being cut to Venezuela) and one nice song, but I can't even tell you the name and who sang it. The show had a particular target audience, and it seems to have found it in its more recent produtions.

Updated On: 4/8/20 at 05:23 PM

Addams Family... Ten Years Later

Posted: 4/8/20 at 5:28pm

Between this and The Little Mermaid, they were the two biggest disappointments to grace a Broadway stage. Both had huge potential to be great and they ended up as gigantic flops.

A Chorus Line revival played its final Broadway performance on August 17, 2008. The tour played its final performance on August 21, 2011. A new non-equity tour started in October 2012 played its final performance on March 23, 2013. Another non-equity tour launched on January 20, 2018. The tour ended its US run in Kansas City and then toured throughout Japan August & September 2018.

Addams Family... Ten Years Later

Posted: 4/8/20 at 6:03pm

"I think that when a movie says it was 'based on a true story,' oh, it happened - just with uglier people." - Peanut Walker, Shucked

Addams Family... Ten Years Later

Posted: 4/8/20 at 6:16pm

ACL2006 said: "Between this and The Little Mermaid, they were the two biggest disappointments to grace a Broadway stage. Both had huge potential to be great and they ended up as giganticflops."

HA! So true! Mermaid I feel was an even WORSE offender because at least Addam's Family had some decent, stylized sets. And there was nothing really wrong with the costuming in it either. But Mermaid on the other hand was was not JUST a mess of a book (Three words... Princess. Singing. Contest) but it was miscast in more then a few roles, and to boot... it might have been one of the ugliest things I have EVER seen. Tarzan's design was bad as well but at least you were just looking at once ugly green wall the whole time. Mermaid was like an endless parade of one ugly set or costume after another all trying to top themselves. Then they rolled out a literal carnival ride and while Ariel is popping a porpoise out her back end and just... ugh.... uuuuugggghhhhh.

Addams Family... Ten Years Later

Posted: 4/8/20 at 6:19pm

I didn't have the hate for this show a lot of others did when I saw it on Broadway and actually enjoyed it quite a bit (other than that awful squid song - poor Terry Mann!) However, the re-writes that came around for the national tour (and which is the licensed version) was definitely a vast improvement and I think if that brilliant original cast had been allowed to perform that version the show would've been a bigger hit and found more love originally.

<-- Tevye, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, March 2018

Addams Family... Ten Years Later

Posted: 4/8/20 at 6:49pm

My school is doing the show (we've been out of school since mid-March, but our principal and director are STILL insisting that it'll happen, even though almost everybody knows it won't), and it's one of the few musicals I haven't been able to get into. I like some of the songs well enough, and "Happy/Sad" is a really good song (as is "Secrets," which was added on the tour, although to a lesser extent), but the show just doesn't sit right with me. It was very clearly an attempt to squeeze some money out of a popular name, and it just seems very amateurish to me. We did Little Shop last year, and I didn't love it at first listen, but after spending some time with the songs and the book, I started to hear motifs and find nuance and pick up on just how genius it actually was. I've had more time with this show than I did with Little Shop, and if there is any genius in it, please let me know. At least, if nothing else, it kick-started the careers of Krysta Rodriguez and Wesley Taylor, who have been in shows like Spring Awakening, SpongeBob Squarepants, First Date, Hercules, and the upcoming Assassins (as well as both being in Smash). And it gave Kevin Chamberlin a well-deserved Tony nomination.

"I think that when a movie says it was 'based on a true story,' oh, it happened - just with uglier people." - Peanut Walker, Shucked

#10

Addams Family... Ten Years Later

Posted: 4/9/20 at 2:13am

I'll never understand the endless revisions. I think the Broadway version was actually far superior to the revised tour version they license. All they needed to do was cut "In the Arms" and that whole squid subplot. I don't enjoy any of the new material written for the licensed version except for Mal and Alice being added to "Crazier Than You" which is kind of fun. The rest is needless change for the sake of change just because the critics didn't like it. They didn't actually write anything better. "Where Did We Go Wrong" is more entertaining than "Secrets" and "Let's Not Talk About Anything Else But Love" was a lot of fun. There was no reason to cut that. "Not Today" is just another solo for Gomez and certainly not an improvement over "Anything Else But Love" and Grandma's reprise which were both more entertaining and are now gone. I also don't enjoy the endless succession of micro songs that make the first act seem even longer now. They may have been in the Broadway version but I don't remember them.

#11

Addams Family... Ten Years Later

Posted: 4/9/20 at 10:49pm

Our community theatre did Addams Family in the fall. I wouldn’t count it among my favorite shows by any means but it was pretty fun. Also my teacher was on the costume team so she invited me and my best friend to the opening night party, as well as giving me a volunteer position for Matilda this spring :)

you found your heart but left a part of you behind <3

#12

Addams Family... Ten Years Later

Posted: 4/9/20 at 11:39pm

CATSNYrevival said: "I'll never understand the endless revisions. I think the Broadway version was actuallyfar superior to the revised tour version they license. All they needed to do was cut "In the Arms" and that whole squid subplot.I don't enjoyany of the new materialwritten for the licensed version except forMal andAlice being added to "Crazier Than You" which iskind of fun. The rest is needless change for the sake of change just because the critics didn't like it. They didn't actually write anything better."Where Did We Go Wrong" is more entertaining than "Secrets" and"Let's Not Talk About Anything Else But Love" was a lot of fun. There was no reason to cut that."Not Today" is justanother solo for Gomez andcertainly not an improvement over "Anything Else But Love" and Grandma's reprise which were both more entertainingand are nowgone. I also don't enjoythe endless succession of micro songs that make the first act seem even longer now. They may have been in the Broadway version but I don't remember them."

Interesting you say that, one of my problems with the rewrite actually was the “Crazier Than You” rewrite. I just think expanding the duet didn’t work too well, despite being a pretty solid way to streamline things.

#13

Addams Family... Ten Years Later

Posted: 4/10/20 at 12:00am

Paul Rudnick and Marc Shaiman should’ve expanded their work on Addams Family Values. And Charles Busch should’ve reprised his role (Tramp)! Or, they could’ve done a new story entirely, but they both nailed the macabre humor and offbeat perspectives of the whole family and how they interacted with “normal” people.

The set for this and effects were incredibly impressive though! Thing remains one of my all-time favorite show openers! But my other memory is seeing several masters of their craft who looked physically uncomfortable to be on that stage. When Nathan and Jackie aren’t able to get laughs, something is terribly wrong.

#14

Addams Family... Ten Years Later

Posted: 4/10/20 at 5:25am

While sooo mediocre, I do think there were a couple of decent songs:

* Pulled

* Waiting

* Just Around the Corner (somewhat, on the other hand it sometimes feels even Bebe didn't really believe the punchlines were that funny!)

Give me claws and a hunch, just away from this bunch.

#15

Addams Family... Ten Years Later

Posted: 4/10/20 at 5:35am

greensgreens said: "But my other memory is seeing several masters of their craft who looked physically uncomfortable to be on that stage. When Nathan and Jackie aren’t able to get laughs, something is terribly wrong."

This. Jackie was one of the ones doing the best she could but they were giving her VERY little to work with in the role. Lane on the other hand had a lot to work with but he just was not right for the role. He is not a suave, romantic, latin lover lead. He was more like count chocula reading a romance novel for audible. And Bebe while a talented dancer and killed it every time she started to do so simply could NOT sing the score how it was written. She more or less spoke it.

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