Creepy, kooky, mysterious and spooky—that surely defines that ooky Addams family. You can add hilarious and goofy to the mix, and you have the recipe for a delectable, wacky production.
Not many musicals include potions to provoke one’s inner dark side, torture apparatus, and de-blooming of flowers but The Addams Family has all that and more. Toby’s production also includes an incredibly well-cast group of performers under the precise direction and choreography by Helen Hayes Award winner Mark Minnick.
The pace of the show is solid, and scene changes, even with large set pieces, are carried out seamlessly with the aid of Lighting Designer Lynn Joslin.
In a tour de force, Jordan B. Stocksdale is fantastic in portraying Gomez Addams.
The atmosphere in the theatre speaks to this not-so-normal family. With all the cobwebs and odd lighting around the ceiling and walls, I had to do a double take for a moment, thinking I was at home.
Scenic and Properties designer Shane Lowry brought his creative talent to the fore in employing a series of intricate three-dimensional collages of objects on the theatre’s interior walls from skulls, musical instruments and other items that represent tidbits from The Addams Family comic strip, TV show and film. The opening scene with tombstones on the in-the-round stage amplifies the mood. Set pieces including 19th century Gothic furniture also feature a Spanish Inquisition chair that is bound to get a response from a person sitting on it. Even “Thing” makes an appearance.
This is not a knock-off of the loveable and popular TV series The Addams Family of mid-60’s yore with John Astin and Carolyn Jones as the leads. Instead, the stage show, whose music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa and book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, was patterned after the ghoulish characters in Charles Addams’ single-panel gag cartoons.
The storyline centers on the morbid and crazy Addams family—Gomez, Morticia, Uncle Fester, Grandma, Wednesday, Pugsley and the butler Lurch—whose preoccupation with death and darkness provides most of the humor in the show. They are visited by the strait-laced, so-called normal Beineke family from Ohio—a swing state as bellowed by Gomez—whereby the son Lucas, the beau of Wednesday, brings his parents Mal and Alice to meet the Addamses in a what-can-possibly-go-wrong scenario. This reminds me of the madcap antics that took place in the popular film, The Birdcage.
Fortunately, a lot does go wrong, which forms the essence of the story and the ensuing hilarity. The hijinks, nuttiness and zingers, however, are largely packed into the first act. The second act lacks that same torrid pace and comedic punch from the first act with the characters turning to sentimentality and reconciliation, but it is still enjoyable. In the end, the Addams clan realizes it’s too crazy, and the Beinekes acknowledge they’re not crazy enough.
Musically, Lippa’s score does not contain the memorable tunes that will leave you humming as you exit the theater as in some other musicals. Nonetheless, his lyrics are potently funny, and in the manner of Sondheim, those lyrics will get your attention. Musical Director and Conductor Ross Scott Rawlings (Nathan Scavilla conducts in other performances) and the six-piece orchestra do a sterling job backing up the extraordinary vocals.
 |
Credit Costume Coordinators Janine Sunday and Sarah King, Wig and Hair Designer Jayson Kueberth, Make-Up Design by Ms. Sunday and the excellent work of Mark Smedley’s Sound Design for adding the appropriate spookiness and quality to the production.
The Addams Family at Toby’s is led by its exceptional cast. As much as comedy dominates the show, the vocals and choreography are stellar. Wonderfully varied choreography is exemplified in such numbers as “When You’re an Addams,” “Just Around the Corner” and the superb tango piece “Tango De Amor.”
In a tour de force, Jordan B. Stocksdale is fantastic in portraying Gomez Addams. The Helen Hayes winner for his role as Nostradamus in Toby’s Something Rotten commands the stage with his well-timed rejoinders, gestures and a rich baritone voice. He is particularly strong in singing “Trapped,” the sweet ballad “Happy/Sad,” “Not Today” and “Let’s Live Before We Die” with an exceptional ability to hit the big notes.
Mr. Stocksdale comedic skills are a big part of the show using body language, facial expressions and timing. This is evident in his portrayal of Gomez as he is challenged to placate Morticia because he kept a certain secret from her (she abhors secrecy) and is one of the major plotlines.
The lovely MaryKate Brouillet as Morticia demonstrates her vocal prowess in “Secrets” and the group number “Just Around the Corner.” She acts with passion and conveys the character’s varied moods so adroitly. Morticia gives a lot of grief to Gomez and was convincing in doing so. Their onstage repartee is excellent.
Wednesday Addams, played by Lydia Gifford, is believable in demonstrating her sadism towards her younger brother Pugsley and her desire to marry Lucas (played earnestly by Jackson Miller). Her strong vocals are evident in “Pulled” and “Crazier Than You.”
Elijah Doxtater plays younger brother Pugsley (alternates with Colton Roberts) and commands a good range in his vocals (“What If,” a duet with Mr. Stocksdale) and comedic instincts. These traits bode well for this youngster’s future in musical theatre.
In a cross-gender role as the centenarian Grandma, multiple Helen Hayes winner David James is funny at every turn. You can laugh simply by looking at him/her.
Rounding out the Addams clan is Shawn Kettering as Uncle Fester who discovers he is in love with the moon and Adam Grabau as the near silent, methodically plodding Lurch. Both play their respective characters to the hilt. Mr. Kettering performs on roller skates while singing his love song “The Moon and Me.” He also sings well in “But Love.”
Helen Hayes winner Jeffrey Shankle in the role of Mal Beineke, Lucas’ father, excels as a control-freak whose marriage was about to collapse from deceit and other maladies. He needed to be crazier, and where would be a better place to start other than the Addams’ mansion in the middle of Central Park? Mr. Shankle’s usual strong vocals shine in “Crazier Than You.”
His wife Alice, played energetically by Anna Phillips-Brown, is seemingly victimized by Mal’s bland personality. She had turned to random rhymes for solace, and their marital problems seem to work out at the end. Ms. Phillips-Brown also performs very well in the hilarious loony number “Waiting.”
The remainder of the talented cast portraying the ten living, dead and undecided Addams’ ancestors include Asia-Ligé Arnold, Jessica Barraclough, Brandon Bedore, Benjamin Campion, Rachel Cahoon, Carter Crosby, Joey Ellinghaus, Amanda Kaplan-Landstrom, Alexis Krey-Bedore and Ariel Messeca.
The Addams Family at Toby’s is totally entertaining on many levels, and you will count your blessings that you’re not a relative of that kooky but loveable family. Full disclosure: If you need a laugh or two (or a hundred), this one’s for you.
Running time. 2 hours and 45 minutes with an intermission
Advisory. Fog, haze and strobe effects
The Addams Family runs through November 10 at Toby’s the Dinner Theatre, 4900 Symphony Woods Rd., Columbia, MD 21044. Tickets may be purchased by calling the box office at 410-730-8311or visiting here. Next up: The Sound of Music – November 15, 2024 through January 12, 2025.
The Menu is shown here. The Drink Special is "The Thing"--alcoholic or non-alcoholic.
Photos by
Jeri Tidwell Photography
No comments:
Post a Comment