With so many community theaters doing "The Addams Family" musical, it can be hard to want to continuously go out and see this show. This is one of those musicals that makes a grand reappearance every few years, and I find that most live theaters are quick to grab hold of this spooky, comedic musical all at the same time. With all that being said, I can confidently say that if there is one production of "The Addams Family" that you should see, it is the one at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse (Ogden), directed by Carol Madsen.
When a film becomes adapted for the stage, the characters are something of an iconic view for audiences. It can be hard for even the simplest of changes to be made to any characters, however, the portrayal of every one of these characters was so entrancing that I wanted nothing more than to be the absolute best of friends with each one. Each and every connection between the characters was so spot on with the leads as well as the ancestors, that it helped the story flow very well. From the first moment the overture played, and the ancestors lined the dark arena singing hauntingly in the back, I could tell this show was going to have the audience wanting more and more. Gomez (Nicholas Balaich) helped portray each relationship he had with the family so well yet so different. His father/daughter relationship with Wednesday particularly stuck out to me. The connection perfectly flowed through every scene between these two and they had us as an audience either cackling or sobbing. Morticia (Annie Ferrin) was portrayed as everything you would ever want her to be. Ferrin was poised, elegant, serious, and most of all protective of her family. The raw emotion felt from Morticia throughout all of act two had the audience falling even more in love with her character. Wednesday (Livy Alvey) portrayed a fantastic young adult Wednesday. From sporting that amazing short, bobbed black wig to the fantastic, strong vocals, I couldn't help but get pumped up every time she appeared onstage! The adorable connection between Wednesday and Lucas (Gage Reese) was so spot on and left us all screaming in the audience every time they shared a kiss. Reese also had fantastic vocals, and his portrayal of the hopeless romantic Lucas had all the teenage girls in the audience love struck! The comedic timing of Grandma (Melissa Trenary), Uncle Fester (David Hales), Pugsley (Jacob Tousley), and Lurch (Jim Tatton) had the audience wanting more and more from each of them. Alice (Jamie Balaich) and Mal (Justin Lee) played their characters differently from how I've ever understood them. I found myself falling in love with the two of them after they shared a fun duet followed by hilarious partnered dance moves in the song "Crazier Than You". Balaich also had the audience losing their minds in a fabulously chaotic rendition of "Waiting"!
With choreography by the amazing Ginny Spencer, the audience was in for quite a treat! Every move flowed so perfectly between the dancers, and far exceeded my expectations! Each character was placed so well on the stage, and each character was also used very well throughout the show. Even in scenes I didn't expect there to be any choreography, I was surprised to see a perfectly placed dance right in front of me. There were a few ensemble members that stuck out to me throughout the whole show when it came to portraying the choreography, and those were: Isabelle Page, Kade Saddler, Kysa Ronnow, Mikelle Shupe, Nataly Hirano, Olivia Page, and Shane Alvey. Every time these specific ancestors came out and not only danced, but graced the stage with their presence, I couldn't get enough! My eyes would automatically go to them, and I loved how into the show they were. Each movement showed how dedicated to the show they were, and it was carefully thought out and executed perfectly.
Costumes by Stephanie Petersen, Jim Tatton, Tami Richardson, and Kinsie Behr along with set construction by Nate Fawcett, Jace Fawcett, and Max Fawcett perfectly tied every other element of the show together. You could really just tell how much thought and creation went into the costumes and the set, and it was perfection! The ancestors' costumes were all beautiful and so detailed! The Addams family had the classic character costumes, that looked precise and helped tie them all together. Grandma's costume is one that stood out to me the most. It helped show just how bizarre that character is, yet it all made perfect sense!
This spooky and kooky bunch really made "The Addams Family" show the lovely story of true love, and it made the audience feel all kinds of emotions. It had its moments of happy, sad, comedic, upsetting, uplifting, and overall memorable. This production runs at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse every Monday, Friday, and Saturday at 7:30 pm until November 12. You do NOT want to miss this well-done show that proves that being normal is vastly overrated! Theatre matters, theatre is important, theatre is impactful.
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