The Addams Family Review - 1/2/10 - Rachel De Benedet U/S Morticia

[ifuweregay93]

Posted: 1/2/10 at 9:24pm

So, today I went back to Addams Family and it looks better. I enjoyed it so much more the second time around, despite the dead audience (No pun intended). The show feels more polished and organized than the preview I saw on 11/23.

Rachel De Benedet was a terrific Morticia. Her and Nathan Lane had really good chemistry, for her being an understudy. I had already seen the show with Bebe Neuworth, so it wasn't too dissapointing.


BLOOPER - When passing the cup around during Full Disclosure, Grandmama took the cup and the top came off. Jackie Hoffman then brillantly adlibbed "It must be from Target!" Ha!

Overall, the show looks like it's getting better. I'm impressed!

[catalana2]

Posted: 1/2/10 at 10:24pm

Bebe said a the stage door on the 30th that she had hurt herself during the show and it got worse on the 30th, so maybe this is the cause of her being out.

[bluebubbles]

Posted: 1/2/10 at 10:42pm

Question about the show in general-I saw the performance on December 12th and during Jackie Hoffman's part in Full Disclosure, when she's talking about her "full body enhancement", she said a line that was something like, "I hear Tiger Woods is taking anything nowadays", then waited a few seconds and finished with "I just peed". We were trying to figure out if this was ad-libbed or if some writer actually had the balls to put it in. Either way, it was pure perfection and the audience's applause stopped the show for about a minute and half. Has anyone else who's seen it gotten that line?

[Marlothom]

Posted: 1/2/10 at 10:56pm

How was it better? Have they made changes, etc. since you saw it last, or do you mean the dances are tighter, etc?

[raggballad2]

Posted: 1/2/10 at 11:02pm

The Tiger Woods line was ad-libbed I think. I saw it on the 18th and 29th and she never said that. She did stop the show with her Full Disclosure though and the peeing...and she fell off the chair when she sat down, which was hilarious. She's just..so crazy and entertaining.

Anyone have any idea if Bebe will be out tomorrow as well? I'm wondering what her understudy sounds like...

[BigRed]

Posted: 1/2/10 at 11:08pm

I heard from an usher that Jackie ad-libs that part in Full Disclosure every night, and changes it up. But normally she ends it up with "I just peed..." hahahaaa.

The other night she said something like "Im a single lady, oh oh oh..." hahahaa.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 1/2/10 at 11:16pm

Does Wesley Taylor's character have his own song?

[raggballad2]

Posted: 1/2/10 at 11:22pm

No solo. He shares his songs, including his biggest, "Crazier than You" with Krysta.

[ifuweregay93]

Posted: 1/3/10 at 12:07am

Really? Wish I heard the Single Ladies one! Ha. Forgot what she said today.

[Pgenre]

Posted: 1/3/10 at 12:35am

I'm sure this will be closed by the time CATCH ME IF YOU CAN comes in so I hope Ms. De Benedet can shine brightly and get a well-deserved Best Featured nomination for her role in that show, though if she is up against Kerry Butler for the same show she will face stiff competition, because she is absolutely fabulous in CMIYC. I wish they would restore he big establishing number from the second demo.

P

[threetwoone]

Posted: 1/3/10 at 12:44am

^The Montrichard number? At a talk-back with Marc Shaiman and Scott Witman, Marc said they cut that with no intentions to bring it back. He said it brought the show to a screeching stop and the audience wouldn't get much out of it, or something along those lines. He also mentioned something about Patti LuPone belting the song (in the demo) with blood practically spurting out of her neck. Not sure how that was related to anything in the talk-back.

I also hope she leaves this show and joins Catch Me If You Can in the fall, if indeed it does come to Broadway in the fall. She was wonderful in the role she had. I also hope they beef up Kerry's part as well.

[Pgenre]

Posted: 1/3/10 at 12:50am

I think Kerry should get "Doctor's Orders", as wonderful as it was in the out-of-town version. That would give her another number to shine in without making the show any longer than it already is. I also hope the opening is cut and starts immediately with "Live In Living Color". Everything else is wonderful as is. Some more imaginative projections might be nice, but I'm sure that's being addressed.

P

[threetwoone]

Posted: 1/3/10 at 1:04am

I don't think it fits her character to sing "Doctor's Orders" but I could see some sort of aside in the song where Kerry gets her own verse, and her character is contrasted against the other nurses.

Also, I really loved the opening, pre-"Live in Living Colour". Did you see it live? I felt it really set up the show. True, it doesn't make much sense bringing the audience into the scene, but it's a musical. Maybe it can be improved by not bringing the audience into the picture until the song starts.

[raggballad2]

Posted: 1/3/10 at 6:35pm

just got back from seeing the show in hopes of seeing Rachel, and was lucky that she was on for Bebe. She was absolutely stunning and Morticia and her voice was clear and goregous, VERY different Morticia from Bebe's I felt. More loving and sweet. While she had most of the character down and most of the choreography, there were times when she would stand there out of character in a very awkward stance that didn't seem very Morticia-y. But nonetheless, she was great. Hope Bebe gets well soon.

No changes were made...Act II still needs a LOT of work, especially the finale. The problems get more annoying the more you see it, but the show is still very enjoyable (and the audience loved it).

[catalana2]

Posted: 1/3/10 at 9:18pm

A fan asked Bebe at the stage door last week if the "I peed" line was made up and she said "no, she says it every night, but we never know what might come out of her mouth."

[raggballad2]

Posted: 1/3/10 at 10:22pm

Jackie's Full Disclosure is pretty much set (don't wanna spoil it) and the "i just peed"/napkin is set. But there are some parts she ad-libs...like today after her Disclosure, as she was walking back to the table she mutters, "What am I doing here? I should be in the attic watching the Bears-Detroit game," which got a huge laugh (and a "YES!" from the guy sitting behind me).
Updated On: 1/3/10 at 10:22 PM

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 1/3/10 at 10:25pm

I want to see a two women show for Jackie Hoffman & Susan Blackwell.

[Gavin Rehfeldt]

Posted: 1/4/10 at 12:26am

Why are the current topical references such a heavy part of carrying the humor of this show? It seems so disrespectful to the source material to have the Addams talk about Tiger Woods and texting.

I hate that pandering kind of writing. There wasn't enough rich humor to be derived from the Addams being outside the cultural mainstream and having a skewed macabre sensibility?? I don't get it and the rest of the show is not good enough to make up for such low-ball writing. (yes, at least when I saw it in previews. I may see it again before it leaves town for kicks. for cheap.)

No one else thinks this is below reproach? Are we supposed to enjoy it because Lane and Hoffman are noted improvisers? I think the directorial hand should be a bit stricter with such familiar and specific characters.

[BroadwayBound115]

Posted: 1/4/10 at 12:57am

You know Gavin, I felt the same way before I saw the show, but then I realized, their house is plopped down in the middle of Central Park and the NYC backdrop used shows an updated city which then made it, at least for me, okay to make pop culture references and by the laughter after the pop culture ad-libs, the audience thought the same way. The only line that didn't get quite as big of a laugh as I thought was the health care line. There was a good chuckle, but no where near the amount of laughter I thought it would get.

[catalana2]

Posted: 1/4/10 at 2:02am

The fact that Fester talks to the audience helps give it some legitimacy also. I thought it was strange at first but then it caught on

[Gavin Rehfeldt]

Posted: 1/4/10 at 2:56am

I understand what you're saying but I find it disappointing that this is the context they decided to put an Addams Family musical in. If this is how they aimed to do it, by making it a self-aware pseudo-parody, then they should have just made it a plotless "revue" piece much like You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown.

Fester projecting to the audience is fine. Anyone in a musical talking to the audience is generally fine, it is encouraged especially if they have something they don't want anyone in the musical to know.

The Central Park locale made no sense to me but then I was it occurred to me, duh, this is expecting to play to audiences in New York for years. I don't know if that is a necessary detail, honestly. Seems like they should have put the Addams Family singing and dancing in Times Square while they were at it.

[ErinDillyFan]

Posted: 1/4/10 at 10:44am

Saw the show on 12/29.

I was dissappointed. Nathan Lane didn't really seem to be playing Gomez. It lacked the little sight gags of the TV show. Although, they did have the curtain tie run off stage. The biggest mistake was the plot twist with the giant squid in the basement, it just fell flat and created a really stupid song.

Why did they feel the need for the show to have a moral? The end is very combersome with every character summing up their view of love and life. It seems so unnecessary. Especially, Uncle Fester's moon trip. We already got his dance with the moon, did we really need to waste time with a rocket on his back?

The tango scene needs more passion. They need better choreography and a steamy flair, with comedic punctuations thrown in.

It just seems to be too thrown together. Although, Alice and Grandma characters are well written. The use of the sets is very awkward, the way they move around stage, and often don't seem to fit the scene. The over use of partial curtain pulls is also awkward.

Some funny stuff and good music, but not up to the level I expected. Carolee Carmello should get a Tony nom.

Oh, and Bebe Neuwirth's costume has got to hurt! The amount of tape they have to use to keep it on...

Did anyone else sit in the balcony and find the drummer very distracting with all his stick twirling and arm swing dancing when he wasn't playing? Updated On: 1/4/10 at 10:44 AM

[romgitsean]

Posted: 1/4/10 at 10:56am

I completely agree with you Gavin. The Addams I feel are too sophisticated and macbre to care about pop culture references. It kinda defeats the point, since they are so anti-mainstream, but you have to give the New York audiences what they want... I guess.

I'm glad the show is shaping up though :]

[raggballad2]

Posted: 1/4/10 at 1:44pm

I totally agree with ErinDillyFan regarding the tango scene. It's messy, doesn't really highlight Gomez and Morticia (Ancestors need to get out of there), and was always very low energy. Also think Alice is probably the best developed character in the show right now.

I sat in the rush boxes, and didn't see the drummer, but the violinists would make funny faces and gestures to the other side of the pit a lot, which was..distracting and amusing at the time time.

[Gavin Rehfeldt]

Posted: 1/4/10 at 3:26pm

Less ancestor activity all around would help the show immensely. How was the rush experience? Thinking about running down there by myself and catching a cheap show during the week maybe....