ALTOGETHER OOKEY GOOD FUN
When American cartoonist Charles Addams started drawing a family of moderately harmless ghoulish folks for The New Yorker in 1938, how could he have expected them to gain huge fame in the world of television (as there was no TV) and multiple films. And he certainly would have been amazed if 85 years later his odd family would be singing and dancing on stage — to great applause. But here they are at San Diego Musical Theatre, where the 2009 Broadway musical — this version is the update from its first national tour — is just in time to set the Halloween mood.
Wednesday Addams (Lena Ceja) is now a young adult and has fallen in love with a rather normal guy who makes her (SHUDDER!) happy. Lucas (Carson Inouye) finds Wednesday’s darkness charming and exciting. The two are secretly engaged and decide to bring his Ohioan family to the Addams home to create a big family and announce their nuptials. Gomez (Mauricio Mendoza) isn’t so sure about this normie, while Morticia (Erica Marie Weisz) is outright determined to stop this blossoming romance. Meanwhile, Lucas’s straight-laced parents (Ryan Fahey and Alexis Zimmerman) have differing reactions to the Addams’ household of lunacies, leading to lots of lunacy.
The musical — book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice; music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa — plays nicely off the kind of faux darkness we’ve come to love from the Addams crew, with some great lines: After their first date seeing Death of a Salesman, Gomez and Morticia laughed their heads off. More modern jokes are included as well: Gomez sings, “Like a bull in the ring / like the moderate right wing / I’m trapped.”
On Mathys Herbert‘s terrifically professional and intriguingly haunted set, director Carlos Mendoza brings out the best in a good cast who bring back memories of TV’s famous brood beautifully. In particular, with the blend of Weisz’s natural looks, her embodiment of the role, and Chong Mi Land‘s tremendously tight costume, we get a startling reminiscence of Carolyn Jones. If Weisz could be sent back 1964, she could have easily played in a few episodes and few would recognize that the role had been recast.
Once again, SDMT is triumphant in fitting tremendous choreography — here by Aaron Pomeroy — with big casts onto their tiny stage. Frequently, 10 to 15 people are dancing at once and the skill set is high without feeling crowded. Gomez and Morticia even get some Argentine tango going in Act II, which is no easy feat. Impressively, Lurch (Jackson Marcy) pulls off some pretty good dance moves in six-inch platforms without falling over.
There are no weak voices in the cast, but Marcy and Zimmerman both have moments during which their highly trained output receives cheers. Some of the lyrics do go a bit fast at time, particularly Gomez, whose lyric lines get a little lost — but for the most part, it’s all pretty easy to hear. While you won’t likely rush out to get the soundtrack (no songs really stick afterward), in the moment they’re entertaining and delivered with gusto. While not kid-oriented, the show is for all families. So come and take a call on The Addams Family (snap, snap!).
photos by Heather Longfellow
The Addams Family
San Diego Musical Theatre
4650 Mercury Street in San Diego (Kearny Mesa)
Wed & Thurs at 7; Fri at 8; Sat at 3; Sun at 2
ends on Oct 29, 2023
for tickets, call 858.560.5740 or visit SDMT
