Bristol Theatre News

The Addams Family at The Bristol Hippodrome Review

Our View: This is a funny show. A great evening’s entertainment.

Rating: 8/10

The Addams Family – The Musical Comedy, is a totally daft show that is thoroughly enjoyable.

The comic romp faithfully follows the famous characters from Charles Addams illustrations and subsequent TV show and movies. The dialogue flows fast and funny, with regular laugh out loud moments from the witty script. That’s not forgetting Andrew Lippa’s marvellous lyrics which had the house in stitches throughout.

Wednesday Addams has grown up, met and fallen in love with a young man from a ‘normal’ family. All she wants to do is to have a nice family dinner where the parents meet each other, get on and then announce her engagement.

Of course, it doesn’t go to plan. Though most families don’t maim each other for fun, or torture siblings in the cellar, there is a painfully funny truth to the awkward in-laws meeting in-laws that we can all relate to.

This is one musical that really knows how to direct and make use of its Ensemble. The set cleverly focuses the attention on the family, but the stage never feels empty with its array of dead Addams Ancestors. Enhanced by designer Diego Pitarch’s interesting costumes, the Swing is great fun to watch in this show. Their presence blends into the background yet fills any voids in the action.

The cast totally nail their roles as the kooky clan. Samantha Womack heads up the family as matriarch Morticia, playing a cool cucumber to Cameron Blakely’s put upon Gomez. Carrie Hope Fletcher as Wednesday has a big voice and personality, all of which she channels perfectly through a dark heart and a sociopathic stare.

There was an audible groan from the audience when it was initially announced that Les Dennis as Uncle Fester, would not be appearing that night. This is always a grossly unfair collective groan, because understudy never means second best. It means getting a well trained professional who not only has to know the main part, but usually every other -in this case male – part too. It’s fair to say that Scott Paige as Uncle Fester probably stole the show with The Moon and Me.

And that’s a close steal, because Dickon Gough as mute til the end Lurch, managed to wring impossible laughs from simply walking very slowly.

As a musical comedy, the comedy works, the lyrics work, but the music not so much. It’s not the worst music, but it’s not something you will go home singing either. As a package though, it works well.

The Addams Family – The Musical Comedy is at The Bristol Hippodrome until Saturday 23 September 2017. If you need a good laugh, and don’t we all, this is the perfect show.

www.atgtickets.com/venues/bristol-hippodrome

www.theaddamsfamily.co.uk