LTN’s THE ADDAMS FAMILY IS DELIGHTFULLY DARK
Theater Babe Says: Go … ‘Cuz They’re More Than Just Creepy and Kooky
{Snap, Snap}
For the Little Theatre of Norfolk’s most recent production,
director Travis Malone has assembled an extremely talented production team and
a cast who makes the most of the material, resulting in a thoroughly enjoyable show.
The Addams’ Family
is based upon the cartoons created by Charles Addams that depict the whimsies
of a loveable if macabre family. The
musical begins with the various family members – both dead and not entirely – celebrating
their ancestry and the unique traits that make them distinctly “Addams”. That unity is jeopardized, however, when Wednesday
(now an adult) falls in love with a “normal” young man, Lucas. Wednesday confides in her father, Gomez, but is
reluctant to tell her mother, Morticia, and persuades Gomez to keep the
relationship a secret – a secret which then places a strain upon Gomez’s relationship
with Morticia. Lucas and his parents,
Mal and Alice, join the Addamses for dinner at their house and chaos ensues
before love conquers all.
In the musical, Gomez is the pivotal role and Clifford
Hoffman’s portrayal is engaging and charismatic, though during the initial
scenes he needs to be more cognizant about staying in the “hot spot” of the
lights. Mr. Hoffman is not a strong
singer, but his commanding stage presence and his overall joie de vivre that so
captures the essence of the character makes it easy to overlook his vocal
limitations. For Mr. Hoffman’s Gomez is
not just creepy and kooky, as the family is described in the iconic theme
song. He is also a doting father and
beloved husband and Mr. Hoffman’s well-rounded portrayal permits us to genuinely
sympathize with Gomez’s plight; despite his quirks, there is a commonality in
his struggle and that makes it infinitely more interesting than if we simply
spent a couple of hours with a weirdo. Mr.
Hoffman’s tender rendition of “Gomez’s What If” is a perfect example of the rich
poignancy that lurks beneath the whimsy.
It is only during the “Tango De Amore” that Mr. Hoffman’s fine performance
falters. It appears that he is
uncomfortable with the choreography and his anxiety reads on his face,
undermining what could easily be a show-stopping moment. The Theater Babe only wishes that Mr. Hoffman
would relax and embrace the dance with the same exuberance that shines in the
rest of his performance, even if that were to mean that he adhere less to the choreography
and permit it to be more precisely rendered by the ensemble.
Judy Triska’s Morticia is credibly strange if perhaps not as sensual as one might expect from the role. Ms. Triska possesses a strong Broadway belt shown to advantage in “Secrets” and “Just Around the Corner,” though in the latter Ms. Triska needs to take care that the low notes – particularly the initial one in the chorus – are well-enunciated so that the audience can fully enjoy the irony of the lyrics in a way they cannot if they initially do not understand precisely what is “around the corner.”
As Wednesday, Rye Fey is at her best when she is the focus
of the scene; her deadpan reactions when other characters carry the dialogue sometimes
teeter into vacuousness. She has a
beautiful voice, but her diction is often unclear which prevent us from
understanding her concerns as well as we might if the lyrics were more
audible. 12 year old Lily Easter’s
Pugsley is both believable and oddly empathetic; Ms. Easter’s layered performance
permits us to enjoy Pugsley’s peculiarities while it simultaneously taps into
the nearly universal concerns of younger siblings who fear abandonment when their
older siblings enter adulthood first.
Ms. Easter’s clear, pure singing voice is well-displayed in “What If,”
and adds to the unexpected pathos of the character. The Theater Babe only wishes that Ms. Easter’s
makeup were more reflective of the young boy this pretty girl portrays. While the vibrant red lipstick is a flattering
color on her, it did not suit the character as well as would a darker, duller
shade. Avery Malerich’s Fester is a
sincere, if unconventional, cupid.
Nathan Jacques is very likeable as Lucas Beineke as Wednesday’s
“normal” boyfriend and his rich singing voice is a pleasure to hear. Tony Brach does a good job of playing the bombastic,
seemingly rigid Mal Beineke, although his reaction to Thing is inexplicably muted. As Alice Beineke, Michelle Jenkins embraces
the character’s quirks without making them cartoonish, and her song, “Waiting”
at the end of the first act is side-splittingly funny.
The performances of the Ancestors (Mary Lou Barnes, Diane
Dzieman, Chris Hogan, Kelsy Hughes, Jeff Johnson, Alivia Long, Coral Mapp,
Marshall B. Mulkey, Emory Redfearn, David Sinclair and Kobie Smith) are
uniformly strong. Although it is easy
for an ensemble to be overlooked, here, each Ancestor has a unique
characterization – delineated perfectly by the excellent costuming by Meg
Murray – and the show is enlivened by their frequent appearances. As a chorus, they have a beautifully round
tone, and their adept execution of the interesting and inventive choreography
by Karen Buchheim is a highlight of the show.
The set, designed by Jason Martens, is comprised of multiple
flats which are lovely to look at individually as well as when they are placed
together to form a larger room. There
are numerous set changes and each is handled efficiently and seamlessly by the combined
efforts of Jenifer Wylie (Stage Manager), Mariah Taghavie-Moghadam and Marshall
Robey (Assistant Stage Managers) and Chris Bernhardt, Lisa Bolen and Jacie Murray
(credited Run Crew) as well as the various Ancestors who move the pieces about
and set the stage in record time.
What separates The
Addams Family from any other family drama is, of course, the ghoulish characterization
of the characters and their home. That
ambience is enhanced and reinforced by the lighting design created by Graham
Wilson. Mr. Wilson’s use of various
techniques enables the characters to be well-lit so we do not need to squint (as
is sometimes the case when less accomplished lighting design attempts to be
moody), but nonetheless generates the gloom that is critical to the credibility
of this particular story. The Theater
Babe notes that this is Mr. Wilson’s first foray into lighting design outside
of collegiate theatre, and congratulates him on his very successful debut.
Bottom line? It is
incredibly difficult to replicate well-known characters, but the Little Theatre
of Norfolk’s production of The Addams
Family does a commendable job not only of recreating those classic
personalities, but in telling a tale that resonates with both the “normal” and
the kooky among us – and is well worth the time and the ticket price.
© 2016 Hampton Roads Theater Babe. All Rights Reserved.
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