They're creepy and they're kooky, and as they took to the stage at the Empire Theatre last night, the audience knew they were in for a frightfully good time.
The harpsichord struck up the first few notes of the famous tune, Thing appeared in a tiny spotlight and the packed out theatre echoed with the sound of the Addams Family 'click, clicks'.
This is the second UK tour for the The Addams Family show, which started life on Broadway in 2010, and like most live shows had its run cut short by the arrival of covid in 2020.
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Inspired by the ghoulish characters created by Charles Addams in the late 1930s, the show brings Gomez, Morticia and their brooding clan from the page and the screen to the stage, for a night of scarily good entertainment.
It opens with the Addams' living their best spooky life in New York, a life thrown into turmoil when Wednesday reveals to her father Gomez that she's in love - with a 'normal' boy.
Not only are they in love, they're engaged, and she begs her dad to keep the news secret from her mum, Morticia - which means Gomez has to lie to the love of his life.
Gomez and Morticia were always going to be the hardest sell for me, as they are two of my all time favourite characters.
But I needn't have worried.
In the hands of former Strictly Come Dancing champion Joanne Clifton, Morticia is every bit as dark, sultry and witty as she is on screen, while Cameron Blakely as Gomez oozes charm and eccentricity by the bucket full.
The chemistry between the two is wonderful, Gomez utterly devoted and entranced by his darkly alluring wife.
Another actor with big shoes to fill is Kingsley Morton, who plays the role of Wednesday Addams - who throws Gomez's life into turmoil by bringing home 'normal' Lucas Beineke.
Kingsley is superb in the role of the crossbow-wielding daughter, her powerful voice easily carrying the songs as Wednesday pleads for 'one normal night' as the Addams' welcome Lucas' family into their home for dinner.
You can tell that Ahmed Hamad is having a lot of fun in the role of Lucas, especially when his character begins to embrace his darker side. His parents, played by the talented Sean Kingsley and Kara Lane, bringing more chaos to the mix as the Addams' struggle to pull off Wednesday's wish for a 'normal' night.
The script is dripping with jokes which are served thick and fast, with gross out comedy to keep the kids happy, and racy innuendos to entertain the adults. The songs are catchy, toe-tappingly so, with 'When You're An Addams' proving to be the particular earworm of the evening.
Tonight marked Matt Slack's first run of shows as Uncle Fester, and he absolutely shone, his comic timing perfect as he acted as narrator guiding the audience through the show.
No Addams Family tale would be complete without Pugsley, Lurch and Grandma, each played wonderfully by Grant McIntyre, Ryan Bennet and Carol Ball respectively.
Lurch in particular was hilarious, his slow lumbering walks across the stage reducing the theatre to fits of laughter.
Bringing the Addams' macabre world to life is no easy ask, and the set pieces are genuinely incredible. You can almost smell the musty, cobwebbed rooms that make up the family's gothic mansion as you are transported from the dusty hallway, to the living room, the dining room and even the moon-soaked garden.
By the time the cast took their final bows at the end of the night the audience was on its feet, a deserved ovation for a spooktacular evening.
The Addams Family runs at the Empire Theatre until Saturday, March 12. You can buy tickets here.
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