At this point, everyone knows about The Addams Family. My love for the all-together ooky family began at the age of eight when my great auntie gifted me a copy of the original 1964 TV series on VHS back in Christmas 1997. Ever since, the black-and-white comedy has been sketched in my mind for its oddball charm and spooky humour.
Since its inception as a comic strip in The New Yorker in 1938, The Addams Family have been rejigged and refitted a number of times. There’s been the ever-popular 90s movies with the God-like casting of Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia, Christina Ricci and Christopher Lloyd, and a series of animated films - with the latest released just last year.
As modern day producers seem to have a tendency to do, it’s natural next step was to be transformed into a musical. The Addams’ Family, currently at Manchester’s Opera House, focuses on Wednesday Addams, who has fallen in love with a man from a respectable family (I.e. one that doesn’t relish in torture and enjoy hanging out at graveyards). With secrets in tow, the two families meet for a dinner together and, well, you can imagine the rest.
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Taking on the role of Wednesday is Kingsley Morton, who really captures the young pessimist with wit, charm and a strong set of pipes. Morton captivates the stage in what is a pretty huge role, but never once allows herself to get swallowed up by her surroundings.
Her parents, Gomez and Morticia, are played respectively by theatre star Cameron Blakely and Strictly Come Dancing professional Joanne Clifton. Both strike up a real chemistry on stage, bouncing off one another before engaging in a passionate dance-off that had the crowd cheering with applause. Not only does it appeal to Strictly fans, but it also exemplifies the stage presence between the two. It makes for a real ‘moment’ on stage.
The rest of the family is covered with Carol Ball’s wise-cracking grandma, Grant McIntyre as the young Pugsley who just wants to be tortured by his sister and Ryan Bennett who somehow manages to shine in the silent-but-deadly role of Lurch. Taking on Wednesday’s love interest Lucas was ensemble member Matthew Ives, who really impressed in the role.
Kara Lane as Lucas’ mother Alice deserves a special shout-out for the powerful ballad Waiting, which really sees her character change direction amidst all the ooky spooky craziness. But, by far, the biggest praise has to be handed to actor Scott Paige as Uncle Fester. It’s an iconic role and one we all know so well, so it’s easy to go wrong and fall flat. But Paige, who many may recognise from Channel 4’s The Circle, really makes it his own.
From the very second Uncle Fester is on stage, you can’t help but become obsessed with his mannerisms, his personality and his general bizarrity. The characteristics are on point that it’s a true-to-life (or not, as the case may be) rendition of the balding family member we all know and love.
The musical, with songs from Tony award-winning Andrew Lippa, features such numbers as When You’re An Addams, Live Before We Die, and Move Towards The Darkness. All aptly-named and impressive, but could have done with being slightly notched up a gear into ooky, spooky toe-tappers.
The scenery and costumes are both impressive, really taking you into the iconic Addams mansion. Ultimately, The Addams Family is sure enough to please both long-standing fans and newcomers. It was delightful to see such a varied age range in the audience - with the kids enjoying it just as much as the adults.
While it’s just as much about the creepy-yet-charming family, the story is filled with plenty of heart, humour and haunts. It’s essentially a reminder that while you should always be yourself, sometimes - just sometimes - it can pay off to embrace what’s outside of your norm.
The plan had been for the show to continue touring the UK following its stint in Manchester, but it was recently announced that production had become the latest victim of the pandemic and cut a number of future performances. Now is the time to book a seat at the Addams Family’s dining table to not only help support the future of theatre, but to also have a roaring good time.
The Addams Family runs at Opera House Manchester until Saturday, April 23. Tickets from £13.00 and are available here.
