THE ADDAMS FAMILY

6th - 9th November 2024

Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, has grown up and fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family– a man her parents have never met. And if that wasn’t upsetting enough, Wednesday confides in her father and begs him not to tell her mother. Now, Gomez Addams must do something he’s never done before– keep a secret from his beloved wife, Morticia. Everything will change for the whole family on the fateful night they host a dinner for Wednesday’s “normal” boyfriend and his parents.

NODA REPORT

Date 9th November 2024

Society Saffron Walden Musical Theatre Company

Venue Saffron Walden Town Hall

Type of Production Musical

Director Adam Bonner

Musical Director Paul Garner

Choreographer Siobhan Austin-Guest

Producer Erica Redfern

Based on the 1930’s cartoons of Charles Adams, this must be one of the wackiest shows around and yet its appeal never seems to wane. From the small screen to the big screen and the stage, audiences still flock to see the antics of this crazy, macabre family who dress as goths, eschew the modern world and regularly call up their dead ancestors. It may all sound rather ghoulish, but I don’t remember laughing so much at a musical!

The hall was atmospherically lit and the eye was drawn to the stage, awash with “candlelight”. This gave a wonderful eerie glow to the interior of the family home which had been well designed with a central staircase, at the top of which were double doors with a gallery on either side.

The storyline is essentially that of boy meets girl but when the girl is an Addams, who goes around with a crossbow hanging from her belt, things are bound to get complicated, especially when his parents are invited to dinner.

The society had put together a terrific cast, headed up by Theo Ogbhemhe-Smith who gave a polished, confident performance as Gomez, with excellent vocals. Theo’s talent first came to my attention a few years ago and it’s great to see how he has matured into a fine young actor. Well done to Eloise Downing as Morticia. This young lady displayed good acting and has a lovely singing voice. Morticia is of course very haughty and getting this aspect of the character over to the audience without appearing too tense is not always easy, but I think Eloise coped very well.

Well done to Evie James as Wednesday. Evie looked as though she was really enjoying playing this role, including torturing her brother Pugsley who was well played by Bertie Clark. The torture chair had been well thought out and certainly looked like a real instrument of torture. In the strange world of the Addams though this was fun, with Pugsley enjoying having the chains pulled tight. Word of warning – do not try this at home!

Oscar Riley made a great Uncle Fester. I loved his facial expressions. His one true love was the moon and so, complete with a rocket pack strapped to his back, off he went. Brilliant! Well done to Emily McGregor as Grandma. I loved her enormous grey wig and thought she played the role really well. The same must be said of Samuel Allan as Lurch. His every movement was so well controlled as was his speech and how did he walk in those shoes with the massive lifts?

Well done also to Max Hutchinson as Wednesday’s boyfriend Lucas. Aided by clever lighting, the effect of Wednesday shooting an arrow through an apple on his head was very well carried out.

Lucas’ parents, Alice and Mal Beineke, were very well played by Catrin Savage and Jed Sandeman Shakespeare.

The Ancestors featured characters from all walks of life who were called back every year, sometimes more often. There were a lot of them and at times the stage did look very crowded as they filled every available space. I can understand though that the society likes to give as many young people as possible the opportunity to take part and under the skillful guidance of MD Paul Garner, the chorus numbers were amazing. The show also featured some lovely solos and duets.

Director Adam Bonner really knows how to connect with a young cast, resulting in a high standard of performance, complimented by Siobhan Austin-Guest’s choreography.

Congratulations to George Alexander and his team on the design and build of the set, to Simon Bates in charge of Sound and Lighting and to Rachel Betts who costumes really brought the story to life. Due to the lack of space, the orchestra was once again hidden from view behind the scenes but it was good to see the MD come forward, baton in hand, to take a well deserved bow.

Thank you for inviting me and to President Maureen Gypps for hosting us throughout the afternoon. Also thank you to Barbara Collins for the welcome tea during the interval. Another lovely show from a very talented group.