A modern day Broadway classic is reimagined by Australia’s rising theatre talent in The Addams Family: A New Musical Comedy, now playing at Theatre Works in St Kilda. It is a perfect venue for the show, small, intimate and filled with dark corners for dark deeds.
Telling a simple story set within the walls of the Addams family’s mansion, Daughter Wednesday, now eighteen years old, has fallen in love and wants to marry Lucas Beineke, who comes from a seemingly “normal” family. He and his parents Mal and Alice are invited over to meet the family, and from there the night descends into dark chaos.
The family’s matriarch Morticia played by Syd Zygier is a revelation. Zygier portrayed a maturity far beyond her years, showed stunning restraint, and despite her share of technical glitches on the night, she sang beautifully with great control and made it difficult to take ones eyes from her.
Her performance of ‘Just Around The Corner’ a highlight of the night, amongst a somewhat forgettable bunch of songs, stayed with the audience long after leaving the family.
Georgia Moore in the role of Wednesday is a joy to behold. Along with being a spitting image of a young Christina Ricci, her singing voice send tingles down your spine. The notes she hit in her solo ‘Pulled’ were astounding and she brought a childish and playful spirit to the character.
A step above in terms of comedy was Sophie Smyth as Grandma, who hit her fair share of punchlines hard, which the rest of the cast often failed to land. Patrick Schnur, meanwhile, in the very large shoes of Lurch was a perfect example of the effectiveness of physical comedy training… and that deep baritone voice was a fun surprise.
While the evening had its unfair share of technical issues, the night was an overall success. And though the ensemble’s dance synchronisation was not always on the beat, their acting prowess helped them recover.
The Addams Family is playing at Theatre Works, St Kilda until 25 June. Tickets available at: theatreworks.org.au
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