The Addams Family at The Alexandra, Birmingham - Review

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Posted 2022-01-20 by Andy Coleman ⇒ follow

Tue 18 Jan 2022 - Sat 22 Jan 2022

If actors are going to 'corpse' - have an unscripted fit of laughter onstage - this is probably an appropriate show in which to do it. Amid jokes about dead bodies, coffins and graveyards some of The Addams Family cast had to hide their unintentional giggles on two occasions as they 'corpsed' on opening night at The Alexandra in Birmingham.

I'm unsure exactly what caused the hilarity but I know that it was Cameron Blakely as Gomez Addams who was the instigator. The actor made the role his own during the show's 2017 tour and he's obviously still having loads of fun with the rest of the cast. And the fun is infectious. The audience loved the production about the kooky family, from the insanely catchy finger-clicking opening theme tune to the rousing Move Towards the Darkness at the finale.

The story centres on teenager Wednesday Addams (Kingsley Morton) who has fallen in with a sweet, smart young man, Lucas Beineke (Ahmed Hamad), from a respectable family. When Gomez finds out, he must do something he has never done before – keep a secret from his beloved wife Morticia ( Joanne Clifton ). Sparks fly in the Gothic household when Morticia suspects her husband is hiding something from her. There is real onstage chemistry between the two, with professional dancer Joanne showing she is so much more than just a Strictly Come Dancing champion. With previous starring roles in stage versions of Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Rocky Horror Show, Flashdance and Top Hat she is proving to be box office gold. Her dance career is not forgotten in The Addams Family, however. A sizzling 'tango de amor' with Gomez is one of the show's highlights.

The rest of the cast are just as good. Kingsley Morton, who as crossbow-wielding Wednesday shoots a pigeon and a rabbit within the show's first 10 minutes, transforms into a sunny teenager in love. Younger brother Pugsley (Grant McIntyre) is hilarious as he begs to be tortured and sleeps in a box, hoping to have nightmares.

Centenarian Grandma (Valda Avics) carries a pet lizard around with her and supplies the potion that sets up the key scene when secrets are revealed and true feelings come to the surface. That scene features the 'normal' Beineke family – Wednesday's sweetheart Lucas, his father Mal (Sean Kingsley) and mum Alice (Kara Lane) who undergoes another unexpected transformation and reveals a great singing voice.

Last, but certainly not least, are the butler Lurch (Dickon Gough) and Uncle Fester (Scott Paige) who both come close to stealing the show – and who were both involved in the 'corpsing' incidents. Lurch's achingly slow movements and Fester's interactions with the audience delighted everyone. And it was good to see that Thing, the disembodied hand, was not forgotten.

The stage was never empty thanks to the eight-strong ensemble who appeared as ghosts of the Addams family ancestors. And there were plenty of details to keep an eye open for – from Thing suddenly appearing in the letterbox to ever-changing moving portraits at the back of the stage.

The songs by Andrew Lippa boast catchy melodies and clever lyrics and helped support the characters' development.
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The Addams Family%% is at The Alexandra, Birmingham, until January 22, 2022.

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Cameron Blakely and Joanne Clifton talk about The Addams Family here .