The Addams Family ensemble members
They're creepy and they’re kooky, but I must tell you: For a musical comedy about a clan that generally lacks enthusiasm for anything other than the macabre, the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre's The Addams Family was truly a high-energy showcase of talent and spectacle. Director Courtney Ryan Crouse, who's also the company's artistic director, brought the ghoulish tale to light in a way that was hysterically heartwarming.
This darkly comedic show is based on creator Charles Addams’ beloved characters, with whom you’re likely familiar. With music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa and book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, the Addams Family musical primarily follows Wednesday (an intensely stoic Mia Rivera) as she brings her comparatively normal fiancé Lucas Beineke (Arick Brooks), and his parents, home to meet her family for the first time. Mix in a few undead ancestors floating around, a few secrets, and a jealous younger brother, and you’ve got a recipe for a lot of drama and, as it turns out, a whole lot of fun.
The moment I stepped onto the 'boat for Thursday’s season-opening performance, I was blown away by how awesome the set looked, as scenic designer Aaron Kennedy transformed the space into the Addams’ dark home remarkably well. I appreciated the attention to small details such as the statues on the mantle and the family portraits on display. Kennedy’s set gave Crouse’s cast many different levels on which to play, which kept the action moving throughout. At the top of the show, when the full cast appears to sing “When You’re an Addams,” it was clear that this production was going to be engaging, and I'm glad to say that feeling lasted all evening.
Gomez Addams (a fantastic Jonah Mendoza) was everything you expected this famed patriarch to be. While the plot revolves around Wednesday’s love story, it's just as much about Gomez and the realities of his little girl growing up and navigating a new chapter in his life. Mendoza was riveting. I loved how energetic he was and how he tried to appeal to both Wednesday and Morticia’s sensibilities, which kept him trapped in the middle between the two women he loves. I was particularly impressed with Mendoza’s ability to do voices and hit every joke with exactly the right inflection to make them extra-funny.
Gomez’s lovely wife Morticia (Kait Auburn) was striking from her first entrance – though, I admit, I was simultaneously impressed and concerned by her dancing in those high heels! With her Gothic grace and dry wit, I appreciated Auburn's otherworldly demeanor; even when overreacting, she had a fluid charm about her and was quite fun to watch, and she and Mendoza had great stage chemistry, to boot.
Meanwhile, Rivera perfected Wednesday's signature deadpan, and every time she interacted with a bird, there was an added touch of levity thanks to props artist Bryn Mongeau. Rivera’s big song in the first act, “Pulled,” was particularly lovely, and though Rivera added a little too much petulance for my taste after Lucas came to the house, she well-captured her character's flavor overall. It was easy to see why the tortured Pugsley (Eli White) was so reluctant to have his sister get married into the perfectly “normal” Beineke family in the first place.
Speaking of the Beinekes, Lucas, his perky rhyming mother Alice (Kaitlyn Tierney), and his stick-in-the-mud father Mal (James Paul Stover) – all decked out in yellow thanks to costume designer Sally Tabaka – provide a fun arc throughout the show, but it's best left without a spoiler. I must tell you, though, that Alice’s “full disclosure” is as comical as it is dramatic.
Eccentric Uncle Fester (Ryan Scoble) served as a narrator of sorts and interacted with The Addams Family's chorus of ancestors the most. While I didn’t personally groove on the choice to personify the moon as Fester’s love interest, I immensely enjoyed Scoble’s performance. That ancestor chorus, by the way, provided lovely scene transitions, and I loved how this ensemble was incorporated into the whole show, especially when the performers became the woods of Central Park.
What surprised me most in Crouse's production was how unexpectedly hysterical Lurch (Max Layman) was. With his super platform shoes helping him tower above everyone, Layman squeezed every drop of humor out of the role and then some, and truthfully, I wanted more Lurch! The same can be said for Nancy Teerlinck’s Grandma; she was a hoot.
Josh Wroblewski’s lighting design served the show well, occasionally employing multiple colors to set the appropriate mood. However, a few moments were backlit, and because of where I was sitting, the angle of the lights made them shine directly into my eyes so brightly that I was moved to read my program rather than watch the stage action.
That said, if you’re looking for a fun night (or afternoon) out to laugh and enjoy some dark humor, then The Addams Family is certainly the show for you – it’s a scream!
The Addams Family runs at the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre (311 Riverview Drive, Clinton IA) through June 22, and more information and tickets are available by calling (563)242-6760 and visiting ClintonShowboat.org.
