The Addams Family Musical Review - 12.28.09

[BroadwayBound115]

Posted: 12/29/09 at 12:57am

Okay, just got back form seeing The Addams Family in Chicago and I was extremely skeptical about seeing it. My friend had seen it and told me it was a 5/10 at best and that she said the set was the only thing she liked. I was kind of nervous sitting in my seat before the show!! Let me tell you...it was GREAT! Terrific, Terrific, Terrific!!

The Cast:
Gomez (Nathan Lane): I thought he would be too Birdcage or too Max Bialystock. He really did a great job at creating a Gomez that was suave and physically funny. His comedic timing is impeccable and the presence this man has on stage is off the charts. His singing voice seems like it improved. Nothing too difficult for him to sing in the score, but his dance with Morticia in act 2 got about a 2 1/2 minute applause, and it was well worth it. Overall, I enjoyed watching him perform on stage. Seeing Nathan Lane perform has always been a dream of mine.
Morticia (Bebe Neuwirth): Man, she looks EXACTLY like Morticia should look. Every mannerism she did was totally perfect and in character. Her acting was incredible. Just completely believable on stage. Her voice is decent. But whenever she lacks the vocal chops, she completely makes up for it with her acting and dancing skills. I really loved her performance through and through.
Fester (Kevin Chamberlain): Again, totally embodied the character. Knew everything Fester would do in each situation. Lovely voice, excellent comedic timing. I really liked his narration bits. He doesn't have much interaction with the family at all. He basically serves as narrator and goes off and does his thing. But when you think about it, thats what Fester always did. His songs were all WTF moments, but they were funny moments. He added so much fun to the show and whenever he came on, the house roared.
Grandma (Jackie Hoffman): IS THERE ANYTHING THIS WOMAN CANNOT DO?!? Grandma does not have an enormous part, but whenever she is on stage, she definitely steals the scene. The dialogue during Pugsley's song stopped the show. I don't know what was added or what was actually written, but whichever the case may be, what she did worked and it worked well!!
Wednesday (Krysta Rodriquez): I saw this girl when she was an ensemble singer in Spring Awakening and an ensemble member in In The Heights. To see her originate a role like this is terrific. I absolutely loved her. What a voice, I hope she gets many more great roles after this. "Pulled" was a showstopper and really got the show rolling for me. The Overture and "Clandango" are excellent starts to the show, but it was reassuring to have such a terrific song follow it. Her acting was great as well. She was funny and dark and I have no complaints with her.
Pugsley (Adam Riegler): Terrific little brother. Made me think of my relationship with my own brother. When I moved away for college, he got lonely. We are 8 years apart, which I think is similar to Pugsley and Wednesday or at least it seemed like it. He has a great voice. "What If" was cute and heartbreaking.
Lurch (Zachary James): There isn't much for him to do. He definitely has his moments where he gets alot of laughs from the audience. His solo in the final number was excellent. Such a rich deep Bass voice. HOW TALL IS THIS MAN!!
Mal Beineke (Terrence Mann): I have always wanted to see him perform on stage and when he walked on I was like AHH!! It was just great to see him live. Such a great asshole father who wants the son to go into the family business. Uptight, controlling. Just was excellent in his scenework with Gomez. Perfect balance between the two. His voice, there is nothing to say. As crazy as the lyrics are to "In The Arms", he really does sing beautifully and there are, again, no complaints here.
Alice Beineke (Carolee Carmello): Okay, so I always wondered what the fuss was about her. I have never heard her sing, act, anything. I have always heard alot about her and seeing her onstage was a real treat. "Waiting" - proved she has one of the best voices to ever hit the stage. WOW! Chills chills chills chills chills!! Terrific actress. Always got laughs whenever she was onstage.
Lucas Beineke (Wesley Taylor): He is great. Perfect choice for a laid back, rebellious boy. Perfect fit for Wednesday and his voice is a pleasure to listen to. No complaints at all.

The set and lighting and sound - Brilliant!! Brilliant!! Brilliant!! If this doesn't win the Tony for Scenic and Lighting and Sound design, it will be a shame. The set was in pieces and allowed the mansion to be askewed different ways. The use of the curtains to section off the house and give it a macabre vaudeville feel was excellent. The use of the cutouts of trees and busts and brick pillars had so much depth, but you could see the one dimension. The lighting was terrific. Again, really gave everything a macabre feel. The sound was perfectly balanced. Felt like you were right there on stage. Really well done.

The score - I love Andrew Lippa. He has written some real gems. The overture is absolutely incredible. Its a good length, gives a great feel for the show and really starts off on a good note (pardon the pun) "Clandango" was an AMAZING opening number. I wanted to jump to my feet when it was over. Other standouts in the first act include "Pulled", "What If", "Full Disclosure pts. 1+2" and "Waiting" Second act's music was just as good as the first, but still great music. "Second Banana" was a great song for Morticia. Bebe really did a great job with it! Every song in the second act is perfect. I wouldn't change a thing. The swordfight/tango sequences is jaw-dropping and I really thought they were going to get a standing ovation with all the applause.

The book- I've heard people complain about a lack of plotline. It's true. There really isn't one huge plotline. I found it was more along the style of In The Heights, where you got a peek on the Addams' lives for a few days, which just so happened to be the day Wednesday became a woman and fell in love. The side stories really are cool. I think they had the right idea with the book and I think with some more development it would be perfect. I would really like to see Gomez and Mal face-off. I think it would be cool.

Overall, I LOVED this show. I recommend it to anyone in Chicago to see it before it leaves and I definitely recommend seeing it in NY. I hope Jerry Zaks doesn't change it drastically, because I really think this show is something special and will do very well in NYC as is.

[Marlothom]

Posted: 12/29/09 at 1:11am

I am glad you enjoyed it; many Chicagoans have. I was dissapointed when I saw it. Did you take any issues with:
1. the Morticia "getting old" storyline?
2. the Beinekes focus?
3. some of the forgettable songs (particularly in Act 2)? I didn't think anything matched the energy of Clandango.

Do you think this show, as you saw it, is ready for Broadway?

[BroadwayBound115]

Posted: 12/29/09 at 1:24am

The Morticia getting old storyline really bugged me at first. That's all they could come up with?? I thought it was a good little subplot. It could be developed more. I'd like to see it be like in the movies where their baby has blonde hair because something bad is happening. This would be where they connect the Beineke focus. If they took the Mal wanting to buy the house plotline and ran with it, Morticia's aging could have been a sign of something bad happening. I don't know if I am making any sense :/ I really liked the songs in act two, I think the Clandango energy was ridiculous and it was hard to match that, but I thought the swordfight/tango and the final song came close to matching it. I think the show is ready for Broadway. It could definitely hold its own. It's enjoyable as is, to further please its audiences, there are changes that could be made.

[ohjustjake]

Posted: 12/29/09 at 1:26am

Do you know if they had implemented any changes into the performance you saw?

I'm so glad that you loved the show! I'm hoping to get tickets for it when it comes to NY. It sounds fabulous.

[raggballad2]

Posted: 12/29/09 at 1:40am

It's nice that you enjoyed it! I'm seeing it again tomorrow night with people who've never seen it, so I'll be looking for any possible changes they've made.

While I agree that it's enjoyable as is, I don't think it's ready for Broadway. My main problem with "The Addams Family" musical was exactly the Beinkes focus.

Interesting that you found Clandango to be an exciting opening number! I've heard mixed feelings about it. (Personally, I thought it was an entertaining number with a song I liked, but I'm not sure it's the strongest opening number they could have)...I'm interested in what you thought about the ending of the show (besides Lurch's great bass)?

[BKLYN369]

Posted: 12/29/09 at 10:43am

i absolutely loved the show! how great was that krysta girl?
anyways...i don't really think its ready for broadway just yet. towards the end it seemed as if the director ran out of time and told the cast "okay just standy in a semi circle here and the separate into three groups and we'll be done." i feel that with more rehearsals it'll be ready but hopefully they don't change too much. I've heard a lot of bad things about the show from critics and newspapers, but what's wierd is when u see the show, the audience goes insane! like, legally blonde insane! so i wonder if it will in fact do very well.

Posted: 12/29/09 at 10:50am

"the audience goes insane!"

Yes- I could not believe the love for this show from the audience.

[BroadwayBound115]

Posted: 12/29/09 at 4:58pm

Judging by the audience response last night, they really do like it.

[Gavin Rehfeldt]

Posted: 12/29/09 at 5:33pm

This is all good to hear. I may check it out again before it leaves if I can get discount tix.

[Queen of the Night]

Posted: 12/29/09 at 9:44pm

Actually, I thought the Morticia "feeling old" thing kind of played into the Wednesday situation. Morticia and Gomez are each dealing with their first born child growing up. The show opens with Wednesday's "womanhood ritual" and I think Morticia's feelings are just brought on by that realization that her little girl is not a little girl anymore. Just like Gomez expresses his feelings in Happy/Sad, Morticia deals with it in a more mature womanly way. Lots of mothers feel a certain aging feeling when their daughters graduate or get married. It reminds them that a certain part of their youth has been lost. I actually found Morticia's reaction very real and poignant, whether you consider her ageless or not. Because it isn't so much about her really getting old, it's just that she feels that way because her daughter is maturing.

And I have to admit, that I liked the Addams Family vs. Beineke family plotline. I think it served to show how the Addamses with their bizarre behaviors and odd ways of looking at things could be beneficial to a group of "normal" people. A totally implausible situation at first, that works out in the craziest way. They point out the abnormal behaviors of the Beineke's in the process as if to say, "who's the weird family now?"

Updated On: 12/29/09 at 09:44 PM

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/30/09 at 2:54pm

I wonder if they will change Morticia's "feeling old" storyline for Broadway?

[THDavis]

Posted: 12/30/09 at 3:47pm

So I have to ask, will they still be changing anything during their run in Chicago now that there out of their preview stage? Or do they wait until they get to Broadway before implementing anymore changes (new songs, cut songs, different plots, etc.)

[raggballad2]

Posted: 12/30/09 at 4:27pm

I saw it again last night after seeing it once in previews and once 2 weeks ago, and since then, nothing has changed. No new songs or dialogue. Still has its problems. There was an article that suggested they may make some changes in their last week because of Zaks, but most changes will happen during the break in between Chicago and Broadway.