Review: The Addams Family

Hey readers!
It's time for my review of The Addams Family.
Like many of my recent theatre trips, this was booked extremely last minute. Despite the show being almost sold out, I was able to get some tickets for the back row of the dress circle. I knew very little about the TV Show, except the theme song and that it had a huge following, so I went in with a very open mind. The Addams Family musical has its flaws, but overall it is a light-hearted, sweet and funny show with a powerful message. The show has a brilliant cast who, for the vast majority, I cannot fault. The absolute standouts of The Addams Family are the three leads: Cameron Blakely, Samantha Womack and Carrie Hope Fletcher. Cameron Blakely as Gomez was utter perfection in the role. He had a great voice, great comedic timing and worked very well with Samantha Womack They complimented each other very well. Samantha Womack's characterisation of Morticia was wonderful. It was clear the characterisation had been throughly thought out; everything from her posture to her movements were down to a tee. She was also a fantastic dancer and had a powerful voice. Carrie Hope Fletcher has the voice of velvet. Carrie is a phenomenal singer, as she is an actress. She too had brilliant characterisation. I actually think she would make a fantastic Elphaba in Wicked; I was seriously impressed by her voice. The sets changed regularly, which was nicely done and made for a nice effect. Every single costume was made perfectly; I cannot fault a single aspect of the costume design. I've read some criticism about the music in the show; but I personally thought it was fun and worked well. The choreography blew me away, specifically during the opening number and the tango, which is done by Cameron Blakely and Samantha Womack. The orchestrations felt very powerful and really added a lot to the show. It seemed as if they were a top-notch orchestra. Honestly, the book (the backbone of a show and written dialogue) seemed like it could do with some work to it. I'd say the shows main faults definitely stem from issues with the book. There were two major issues with the book. The first being I felt the beginning jumped into the show too quickly. I didn't believe that much care had been taken to establish every single character at the beginning. Secondly, the Uncle Fester segments became a little tedious and dragged on. However, I seem to be in the minority with that, as many people are saying they adored Uncle Fester. Lastly, the lighting design could also do with a little bit of work. This is simply a nitpick and won't affect many, but the lighting seemed to have trouble finding the actors at various stages. This is something which can easily be fixed.

The featured star of The Addams Family is, drum roll please... SAMANTHA WOMACK!

I was really torn as to whether to give this to Samantha or Carrie, as both were on a par, but eventually chose Samantha. It was extremely impressive how much thought had gone into the characterisation of Morticia. I don't actually think I've actually noticed characterisation like this before, so Samantha certainly has the right idea!

Now for my final verdict on The Addams Family. I give The Addams Family...

I give this rating because, despite its flaws, a good time is guaranteed and its the type of show where you leave the theatre feeling really good. It's a lot of fun!

Think it should have got a higher rating? Agree with my rating? Think it should have got a lower rating? If so comment below.

Thanks for reading!

-The Reviewer