Stage Fright
By John Heilpern
December 2009

It’s welcome news that Charles Ad*dams—“the van Gogh of the ghouls”— and his perfectly defective American family are coming to Broadway later this season.

The immortal Addams family has been a macabre musical waiting to happen ever since the classic 1960s TV series. Besides, the show has at least two assets that make it a neat fit for Broadway: it’s about a dysfunctional family and it’s a cartoon.



The Addams Family stars the undisputed king of Broadway musicals, Nathan Lane, as the gallant, dapper layabout Gomez. (The irrepressible Lane even looks like a living cartoon.)

The smashing Bebe Neuwirth makes for inspired casting as the slinky matriarchal goth, Morticia.

The haute creepiness of the fun-house world of the adorable Morticia and Gomez is, as the jingle goes, altogether ooky.

Yet it seems that the utterly nonconformist Addamses are, in their blissfully weird way, timely apostles of acceptance.

http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2009/12/addams-family-200912

That would be great an Adam's Family Musical

I just saw this musical in Chicago. Nathan Lane was excellent as Gomez as was Bebe Neuwirth (boy they really nailed that casting!). Morticia was kind of a b*tch, though.

And did they have a squid that lived under the stairs in the tv show?

I was wondeirng if anyone else has seen it and what did they think?

Yeah, I can see him as Gomez. "Capital idea!" :lol:

And did they have a squid that lived under the stairs in the tv show?

I haven't watched much of The Addams Family in a while but I do not recall a squid under the stairs.

The Munsters had a pet dragon named Spot who lived under the stairs.

The Addams Family - A Review of the TV Show on Broadway
Posted Mar 14th 2010
by Brad Trechak


It seems unusual to do any sort of review for a Broadway musical on a television site, but The Addams Family has had four television incarnations thus far, two filmed and two animated.

Plus, both the leads in the Broadway version (most notably Bebe Neuwirth) have had some history with television acting. Finally, we've mentioned the play here on TV Squad before so it's really just a continuation of a previous idea.





As one of the lucky few who caught the Broadway show within it's first week, I have to say that the characters have notable differences from the more familiar television or movie versions.

For one thing, their mansion is located in Central Park in Manhattan rather than in the suburbs.

For another, Thing and Cousin It only make the briefest of cameos with the rest of the family taking much more of the spotlight.






Nathan Lane portrays Gomez with an attempt at a Hispanic accent, more Raúl Juliá rather than John Astin, that comes across as comical.

Wednesday is 18 years old in the play and it would have made more sense to make Pugsley as an older teen as well rather than the same age as other incarnations. That way folks could just say the events of the play happen in the "future" of the series where perhaps the family moved to New York.






Some small winks were given to television continuity. It is noted that Wednesday was home-schooled and the two leads weren't certain whose mother Grandmama Addams actually was.

The show also begins with the familiar television chords accompanied by two snaps.




Overall, the musical is silly, nonsensical and reminiscent of many of the sorts from the 50's and 60's (albeit with a ghoulish tone). It is laden with corny jokes and some winks to the audience.

The music does have some catchy tunes in a variety of styles (a personal favorite was the opening number 'When You're An Addams'), but no song was particularly overwhelming or memorable.







Nathan Lane, as the master of the joke delivery, shines in his role and Bebe Neuwirth handles her own quite well as Morticia.

Another notable stand-out in the cast is Kevin Chamberlin as Uncle Fester (who was practically channeling Jackie Coogan).


It's worth the price of admission for Lane's performance alone. If you are a patron of Gothic musical theater, then it's high time to visit the Family.

http://www.tvsquad.com/2010/03/14/the-addams-family-a-review-of-the-tv-show-on-broadway/

The Addams Family is coming out of the box strong, taking in $1,192,213 from its first seven preview performances, Variety reports. Houses have averaged nearly 99% per night.

The musical, which had its try-out in Chicago, opened initially to mixed - if not lukewarm - reviews, however managed to break box office records in the mid west.

THE ADDAMS FAMILY will open at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on April 8, 2010. Based on the bizarre and beloved family of characters created by legendary cartoonist Charles Addams, THE ADDAMS FAMILY has a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice (librettists of the 2006 Tony Award-winning Best Musical, Jersey Boys), music and lyrics by Drama Desk Award winner Andrew Lippa (The Wild Party), direction and design by Phelim McDermott and Julian Crouch (Shockheaded Peter, The Metropolitan Opera's Satyagraha), choreography by Sergio Trujillo (Next to Normal, Jersey Boys) and creative consulting by Jerry Zaks.

Starring two-time Tony Award winners Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth as Gomez and Morticia, THE ADDAMS FAMILY features two-time Tony Award nominee Terrence Mann as Mal Beineke, two-time Tony Award nominee Carolee Carmello as Alice Beineke, two-time Tony Award nominee Kevin Chamberlin as Uncle Fester, Jackie Hoffman as Grandma, Zachary James as Lurch, Adam Riegler as Pugsley, Wesley Taylor as Lucas Beineke and Krysta Rodriguez as Wednesday.

http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/THE_ADDAMS_FAMILY_Starts_Off_Strong_Grosses_Top_1M_in_First_Preview_Week_20100316