FOR a TV series that lasted only two series – 64 episodes between 1964 and 1966 – The Addams Family has remarkable longevity. Helped by continual showings on late night TV and four films featuring the characters, it was almost inevitable that someone (Andrew Lippa) would add music and, adapt (Marchal; Brickman and Rick Elice) these stories of a bizarre family with macabre interest and supernatural abilities, and turn it into a stage musical.
Despite somewhere between a 10 and 15 million dollar budget and picking up several awards, in modern terms that lavish original Broadway production in 2010 lasted a only a modest 20 months. Like the TV series it simply will not lay down and die, and since that date it has successfully toured in the US and UK.
BLOG may not have the sort of financial backing that the Broadway producers had, but, never afraid of a challenge they have come up with a stylishly-mounted, attractively-staged and costumed production, most importantly played by a company with the talent and drive to create vocally and dramatically all those well-loved Addams Family characters.
Head of the household, bringing all the experience of many leading roles for BLOG to bare to his performance is Geoff White. His Gomez is completely at ease dealing with his bizarre family, Hannah Gorden making a splendid debut for the company as his strikingly beautiful aloof wife Morticia, her Just Around the Corner number, with the chorus in top form, was a real show stopper, Rob Dallimore relishing every moment of playing an Uncle Fester right up to the edge, but never beyond, of caricature, Alexandra Pugh’s deliciously potty Grandma, Hannah Wood dangerously mischievous as young son Pugsley and Sophie Baxter, as daughter Wednesday, about to put the cat well and truly amongst the pigeons by marrying an ordinary mortal.
Geoff was equally at home dealing with the trio of mortal introduced for the show to represent the world outside the Addams Family home. Ed Corbishley ideally starchy as Lucas the son determined to marry Wednesday no matter what her family background is, James Canning suitably reactionary as his narrow minded father, Mal and Sophie Harris whose does a spectacular U turn vocally and dramatically, as the bullied mother Alice.
The introduction of these new characters adds a quieter more serious theme to the story, which means fewer laughs per yard than the TV series, but when you consider that they ran for just twenty six minuets per episode, and this with the interval is a two and a half hour show, the balance is probable not far off ideal.
Certainly the balance between the soloists and chorus and MD Matthew Finch and his fine Orchestra was just right, as was the way in which choreographer Alison Price manipulated the large willing company. With Director Tristan Carter hovering over the whole production like an expert puppet master this was indeed a presentation that those millionaire Broadway producers should take note of and realise that if you have the talent and commitment, you do not need millions to create a successful show.
GRP
Photographs by Samuel Kelly