Addams Family crossbow bolt of morbid fun
Bride-to-be Wednesday Addams is all grown up.
In Laura Secord’s production of the cult classic “The Addams Family,” the family struggles to adjust when their crossbowwielding daughter Wednesday falls in love with all-American Lucas Beineke a normal' boy. When the Beineke family is invited over to meet the Addams, full disclosure chaotic hilarity ensues as surprising secrets are revealed.
A mixture of a whirlwind, old-fashioned comedy and a conventional love story, the audience is pulled securely into the kooky world of the Addams family. Beginning casting in September of last year, this highly anticipated musical adaptation of Charles Addams' irresistible cartoons matched the energy expected from such a long-awaited production.
Once the show begins, the comforting familiarity of the characters’ eccentricities are immediately on display; characterized by the classic pinstripe suit, Dexter Sonier embodied the enthusiastic and animated Gomez. With a constant mirthful accent and preened mustache, Gomez’s buoyant presence held the crowd captive with his signature hilariousness. Matching that of his on-screen sit-com originator, his erratic sword-slashes and zealous facial expressions were comically poignant.
The rigor to his mortis, Morticia Addams (Annika Johnson) is suitably stiff and stoic. Elegant and witty, Johnson’s haughty inflection exemplifies Gomez' imperious and enigmatic wife.
Beth Plue gave a striking performance as the infamous Wednesday Addams authentically portraying Wednesday's branded teenage angst with believable consistency and polish. Her well-rounded portrayal of the beloved character, paired with a commanding vocal performance in “Pulled,” emphasizes the results of a changing family relationship.
Owen Koks revels in the role of quirky and incorrigible hopeless romantic, Uncle Fester. He shone particularly bright in his enthrallingly staged performance of “The Moon and Me,” while accompanied by the female Ancestors. Their overwhelming stage presence and complementary parasail choreography was high energy and smooth in its execution.
Other characters included Alice Beineke, a typical American housewife with an affinity for rhyming and the colour yellow, brought to life by student Allie Plue. Josiah Royal is to be commended for his stoic portrayal of the monstrous butler Lurch his impeccable comedic timing and delivery stood out in the performance.
The show excels through its expansive design elements, featuring a beautifully constructed movable set and props. The costumes and makeup are appropriately gothic in particular, the outfits of the Addams Ancestors, a group of long-dead characters from the family's history, are impeccably detailed. Their period-specific dress was on full display in dynamic opening number, “When You’re an Addams.” Despite minor technical difficulties, the musical was driven along by Laura Secord’s impressive live orchestra.
Challenging conventional cookie-cutter ideas about normalcy, the various zesty popspectacle songs and meaningful story turn the audience's idea of normalcy upside down - what does it really mean to be ‘normal’? The incorporation of amusing modern references firmly grounded this take on The Addams Family in the 21st century, shifting from the traditional doom-and-gloom dynamic the series is typically characterized by.
Hilarious one-liners, excellent musical numbers, and a tireless cast result in a gloriously decadent show dripping with ingenious creativity. There is no doubt that Laura Secord's feel-good production of The Addams Family will garner much attention from newbies to the series and cult-classic followers alike. The entirety of its extensive crew is deserving of roses buds cut off of course.
The musical reveals that despite the Addams peculiar macabre hobbies of torture, potionbrewing, and frequenting graveyards, the two families may not be so different after all.