The Addams Family

        It's very difficult to walk into the Lunt-Fontanne Theater without having preconceived notions about what a musical based on Charles Addams beloved cartoon family of creepy, kooky, and altogether ooky Addams'. This makes things difficult on the creative team, as well as the actors onstage. How often do things really meet our expectations?

     In this particular case, I had been forewarned by several people, as well as practically every critic in town, that I was to be greatly disappointed. There is also the fact the The Addams Family was one of only two musicals that opened on Broadway last season with original music, and had the biggest stars, and did not receive a Tony nomination for Best new musical. Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth, undoubtedly two of Broadways best talents, were also over looked. Needless to say, going in, things did not look good.

    I am happy to report that it's not as bad as everyone says that it is. The book is actually very funny. It's not all good, but for the most part there are some good little one liners that are very appropriate for each character who says them. There are a few social references that in my opinion should have been cut from the script, but other than that, it's not bad.

  The plot is generic, Wednesday meets a boy and falls in love, the parents meet, they don't like each other, and the kids have to help everyone to get along, it's very "La Cage Aux Addams". only instead of transvestite homosexuals you have a goth family obsessed with death and implements of persuasion. This is actually the first disappointment. For such a quirky bunch of characters, you would hope that the creators could come up with a bit more interesting of a story. But we'll forgive them that and move on.

    The score, unfortunately, is where the problem lies. It sounds very little what a musical with this type of macabre, murky, bizarre, characters should sound like. The opening number "When you're an Addams" is melodically the best song in the show. It perfectly sets the tone for what the entire musical should not only sound like, but also feel like. It's too bad that this tone was not kept throughout the show. The rest of the score is filled with forgettable songs with even more forgettable lyrics. There are songs that are good, however, they don't belong in this show, being sung by these characters.

     Nathan Lane is the highlight of the show. He perfectly nails every bit of what Gomez should be. He is not the Gomez of Raul Julia, who was teeming with a raw Latin sexuality. Lane instead embodies the Gomez of Charles Addams original cartoon drawings, which was short, stubby, and strangely sexy. Bebe Neuwirth equally matches him in her stunning portrayal of Morticia. Neither of them, however, is given very good material to work with. Both of them do their best at elevating the material and making terrible songs better than they are.

   The supporting cast are all fine. Wednesday, Pugsly, Grandma, and Lurch are all played nearly perfectly. The new characters of the Beineke family are wonderfully portrayed by Carolee Carmello, and Terrence Mann, however they too suffer from being given material that is far below what they deserve. In act II they sing a duet about a squid. The set and costume design are absolutely stunning. There is also some very clever puppetry used, which I'll not spoil for those who have not seen the show.

    The one thing about this musical that is the most disappointing, and sends the entire Addams universe out of whack, is that the characters are altogether too self aware. Part of the charm of The Addams family is that they have no idea that they are not normal. When you inject that bit of self awareness into the picture, and make them fully in tune with the fact that they are the weird ones, and the way they live their lives is unconventional, it takes away from the characters.

    All in all it's not a terrible show. I would not see it with out Nathan Lane or Bebe Neuwirth, but if you get the chance to see it before they leave, you will at least laugh at their performances. Otherwise, you may feel as though you're being tortured, which I guess is appropriate after all.