The Addams Family - REVIEW by Jason A. Plake

[japlake]

On Sunday, November 22, 2009, I was privileged to be one of the first to see the new musical, The Addams Family, at the Oriental Theatre in Chicago, starring Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth. My seat was in the fifth row, left of center, on the orchestra level. The show premiered a week earlier on November 13, and it is set to open on Broadway on April 8, 2010. This is the first time I have been to see a brand new musical, and it was a delight. I love experiencing new things, without seeing reviews and previews. In fact, many friends know that for movies that I definitely want to see, I desperately try NOT to see any previews beforehand, as I want to experience all the sights and sounds firsthand. If a preview is showing that I don't want to see, I will close my eyes until it's over. It may sound odd, but that's me.

Now, back to The Addams Family. The show started with the flickering of lights in the auditorium, followed by the stage announcements. The flickering lights were to get you in the feel of a haunted old mansion, but I don't know how much of the audience understood. I liked the stage announcement about flash photography, where all you heard were sound effects of cameras, followed by the sound of Lurch groaning.

The pit orchestra started the show with a rich sounding overture. The orchestra was incredible, with a full sound, but never overpowered the actors. "Thing" (a hand) made a cameo appearance by opening the curtain. This was well done, as the spot light followed some commotion going on behind the curtain, followed by the appearance of Thing where the curtains meet. Then, Thing grabs the edge of the curtain and pulls the curtain open and high, reaching about 25 feet in the air.

The set design and lighting of this show was spectacular throughout. Full of deep vibrant colors, the set was beautiful. The scene changes were very well done, almost always being choreographed in the scene as to seamlessly bring us from setting to setting, without interruption. The family tree is used several times, which is a massive, beautiful tree that takes up the entire stage. Staircases were used in a lot of scenes, and were creatively reconfigured in numerous ways to alter the scene. Again, these reconfigurations were usually choreographed with the songs and dances, keeping the show moving along and making the scene changes a visual delight, rather than a dull "wait" in darkness that is standard in some productions. Another impressive set design was that of the life-sized paintings in the house, where the ancestors in the painting came to life.

All of the actors fit their characters very well. This was my first time to see such big-named stars as Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth, and they did not disappoint. Lane’s impeccable comedic timing, facial expressions and line delivery were masterful and a delight to witness in person. Neuwirth was perfect in the role of Morticia, with pale white skin, long black hair, beautiful figure that looked like she was poured into her signature form-fitting long black dress, and a beautiful vibrato singing voice.

Uncle Festor narrates much of the story, and was played by Kevin Chamberlin. Chamberlin did an incredible job as Fester, capturing the joy and quirkiness of the character. It’s interesting to see actors who play such differing roles. My only previous recollection of Chamberlin was in his role as the “Puppet Master” in the hit television show “Heroes”, where he plays a very dark, dangerous villain. You may think the Addams Family is dark. Well, not really. They are a fun, very loving family, with a very morbid sense of humor. Uncle Fester adds a lot of levity throughout the show, especially in his song, “The Moon and Me”, where he sings about his new love: the moon.

The story line is basically “Meet the Parents”, where Wednesday Addams is a young woman in love and wants her boyfriend and his parents to meet her family. There’s a bigger age gap between Wednesday and Pugsley, where I always remembered them being pretty close in age. However, Wednesday (Krysta Rodriguez) plays the role well, as a girl just entering womanhood, but still a child at heart who enjoys playing torturous games with her little brother.

This show encompasses everything one expects and loves to find in a production, including spectacular singing, dancing, rich orchestra, sword play, love, turmoil, resolution, and even a giant squid. The show includes a tribute to the television series, as well as familiar references from the hit Addams Family movies and original comic strips. It’s creepy, kooky, mysterious, spooky, and just down-right fun. I was on the edge of my seat the entire night, enjoying the experience from open to close. I highly recommend this show. Check it out before it goes to Broadway. With discounted travel using Megabus.com and Priceline.com, a fun night at the theatre in Chicago doesn’t have to be as costly as you might think!