#1
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.
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.
