Review: Adams Family Musical
Creepy, Kooky, and a Whole Lot of Fun
If you’re looking for a night of ghoulish giggles and Broadway-style camp, Adams Family: The Musical delivers in spades. Picture a wacky, spooky comedy with the irreverence of Beetlejuice—but with even more dead relatives in the background. This production is packed with laughs, clever set changes, and an ensemble of ghostly ancestors who might just steal your snacks (and your heart).
Set & Atmosphere
Let’s start with the atmosphere. Recent shows at this theater have had their orchestras on stage, squishing the actors into creative corners. Not so here! This time, the orchestra returned to the pit where it belongs, leaving the entire stage free for some seriously impressive—and appropriately creepy—set pieces. The shifting scenery transported us right into the Addams’ macabre mansion, complete with secret passageways, foggy graveyards, and the faint aroma of ghostly shenanigans.
Act I Highlights
The show kicks off with a bang: Cousin It and Thing both make appearances, and their live-action portrayals are as hilarious as you’d hope. Think: unexpected puppetry, nimble costuming, and more than a few sight gags that land every time. The main plot? Wednesday Addams is in love—yep, the iconic doom-and-gloom princess herself. If you, like me, just binge-watched the Netflix series, seeing Wednesday play the romantic lead might feel a bit surreal, but it works (and it’s funny).
Uncle Fester and Grandma are, as always, comedic gold. Fester’s banter is razor-sharp, packed with sly references to everything from TikTok to the eternal Vikings vs Packers rivalry. Grandma, meanwhile, gets in some of the best zingers of the night.
Act I closes with a twist: Alice, the love interest’s squeaky-clean mother, flips the script and goes full villain mode. Her transformation—voice, posture, everything—stole the act for me.
Act II Antics
The laughs just keep coming in Act II, even if evil Alice doesn’t get as much stage time as I’d have liked. The romantic heartbreaks of Act I are tidily resolved (as per musical law), and the family learns to accept each other’s quirks in true Addams fashion. But the real scene-stealer? Uncle Fester’s serenade to the moon. It’s as bizarre and endearing as it sounds, and trust me—you’ll be humming it on your way home.
Final Thoughts
The cast? Wildly talented singers all around. The choreography? Lively and tightly executed, even with half the cast pretending to be dead. There were only a couple minor technical issues with microphones, but honestly, nothing could dampen the undead energy of this cast.
Bottom line: Whether you’re a longtime Addams Family fan or just in the mood for some delightfully dark comedy, this musical brings the laughs, the camp, and all the spooky fun you could want. Snap snap!