They’re creepy and they’re kooky. Mysterious and spooky. They’re all together ooky … and they delight audiences too! The Addams Family arrived at Birmingham’s The Alexandra Theatre this week.
No matter your age, The Addams Family was a staple of everyone’s childhood, so watching this wickedly funny production – directed by Matthew White – come to life on-stage was an absolute treat. From the very opening bars of the first song (written by Andrew Lippa and conducted by Richard Beadle), the audience is transported into the nostalgic world of the weird and freakish, tied together with a gloriously flamboyant bow.
Narrated by the deranged yet darkly hilarious Uncle Fester (Scott Paige), we discover early on that everyone’s favourite Macabre, Wednesday Addams (Kingsley Morton), has fallen in love with a boy from the wrong side of the tracks… in a manner of speaking. With his charming attitude and “normal” family, Lucas (Ahmed Hamad) is the last person Gomez (Cameron Blakely) and Morticia (Strictly’s Joanne Clifton) would pick for their daughter.
It’s a delightfully wacky performance, offering plenty of laugh-out-loud moments when the two paradoxical families collide for dinner – a recipe for disaster if there ever was one – all intertwined with the energetic musical score.
As with any show at The Alexandra, the set was to die for (get it?). The stage (designed by Diego Pitarch) is skilfully transformed into the Addam’s wonderfully frightening mansion with plenty of creepy shadows and creaking doors. Alongside the set are the ridiculously eccentric costumes, which are a celebration of the peculiar family and just impeccable to watch. And all of this helps to assist the comedic yet accomplished dance sequences, creating a devious night of plot twists and magic that had the whole audience in stitches.
The Addams Family runs at The Alexandra Theatre Birmingham from Tuesday 18 January – Saturday 22 January 2022. For tickets from £13 (fees apply) click HERE
