Newcastle Theatre Royal, 08/02/2022
We’ve been pulled in a new direction as The Addams Family storms into town on a leg (or hand!) of its second UK tour. Based on the classic characters and starring Joanne Clifton (Strictly Come Dancing) as Morticia Addams, this musical (created by the writers of Jersey Boys) joins the Addams Family over a single night in which formidable Wednesday Addams is working to receive her family’s blessing as she has fallen in love with a boy! With multiple actors reprising their original roles from the 2017 tour, one would expect them to have honed their craft. Read on for our five reasons to see The Addams Family on the UK Tour!
1. The Comedic characters are great
Leading the laughs in the show, Cameron Blakely (Gomez Addams) and Scott Paige (Uncle Fester) command the stage so well with their quips and one-liners. As the head of the family (although Morticia may say different), Gomez (Blakely) really is very funny throughout while still having an empathetic side for the women in his life. Each scene feels like it has a set piece such as fencing or a torture chair for Blakely to shine with and he does just that. Scott Paige is absolutely excellent as Uncle Fester. From the moment he is introduced, the audience are spoiled with his kooky characterisations and wonderful voice too.
2. The set works so well
Framing the entire stage there is the outer parts of the Addams Family home. Each wing is supported by a towering stone pillar complete with balcony that are really used well to keep the momentum of the show during scene changes. The main staircase of the home splits into two halves which are on stage almost the entire show in different positions to effectively highlight individual scenes. The grandeur of the set and the great details in the way it has been created to give that weather-worn and spooky feel is really impressive for this touring show.
3. Kingsley Morton as Wednesday Addams
In what looks to be an early credit in her career with this role and following in the footsteps of West End star Carrie Hope Fletcher, Morton really excels as Wednesday Addams. Her acting is great, very good comedic timing too but where she really impresses is with her singing ability. Smashing every note in ‘Pulled’ and ‘Crazier Thank You’, her voice really is a delight and has such power too. It’s a shame there aren’t more numbers in the show that Wednesday gets to perform on her own as we were left wanting more.
4. The costumes!
Dressing such iconic characters is definitely going to be a challenge for any costume department, but this show gets it spot on. Each Addams looks absolutely brilliant and just how you would imagine a stage adaptation would be. Grandma’s wig seems to have a different object protruding out of it in each scene, every ancestor costume has such wonderful details they are really captivating and the infamous black dress of Morticia is wonderful too. Such care has obviously gone into each costume design and it really shows.
5. It’s quite a different show to most musicals
The theme of this show and the setting of it really makes it stand out against other musicals out there, only rivalling the The Rocky Horror Show, this musical blends dark comedy, spookiness and some ear worm songs to really stand out against the crowd of many shows that are out there. Fans of the films and tv shows won’t be dissatisfied and the audience members who are meeting the Addams for the first time are sure for a great night too. It feels like the jokes and themes are crafted carefully to cater for any age meaning the show can be enjoyed by the whole family.
Overall we enjoyed The Addams Family; filled with lots of jokes, great costumes and catchy songs it’s hard not to like such a fun show! Make sure to get your tickets as soon as you can, it is showing at Newcastle Theatre Royal until Saturday 12th February. Tickets for Newcastle and the remaining dates can be found by clicking here!
The Stagey Couple 