Review - The Addams Family at the Lunt-Fontanne

I had heard not-so-great things about the new musical version of The Addams Family from my Chicago blogger peeps, as well as from numerous students and readers. The main complaints seemed to be that the show didn't have much of a plot (and what plot it had seemed borrowed from La Cage aux Folles), that Andrew Lippa's score was bland and unmemorable, and that the show's story was focused too much on irrelevant characters.

When I saw The Addams Family in previews in mid March, the only fix the creative staff seemed to have made was in redirecting the focus of the show to shine firmly on the family. Otherwise, the show represented a reasonably funny but ultimately pointless and undistinguished night of musical theater.

The opening curtain met with a thunderous ovation from the faithful in attendance, mostly because the creators had made the wise choice to fork over the bucks to for the rights to the insidious and iconic theme for the TV show. But there were also considerable plaudits for the show's stars, Nathan Lane as Gomez, and Bebe Neuwirth as Morticia. If only the show itself had been worthy of their admitted collective talents.

It's certainly no secret that the show's directors of credit -- the idiosyncratic Phelim McDermott and Julian Crouch (Shockheaded Peter) -- were unceremoniously shunted aside after the show's less-than-spectacular Chicago tryout. Reportedly, Nathan Lane demanded, and got, his old pal Jerry Zaks to come in and punch things up a bit. The main contribution of the "directors" seems to be the show's design concept, which features a modular set of staircases, which are fun to watch the cast move but ultimately distracting.

The show also features an ingenious mobile curtain setup that almost seems like a character itself, and provides some visual focus to the scenes as well as physical coverage for set changes. There's also a rather elaborate visual setup for a second-act number in which Uncle Fester (the always wonderful Kevin Chamberlin) proclaims his amorous attachment to the moon. But designers as directors? Have we learned nothing from Julie Taymor? Much like The Lion King, The Addams Family comprises some interesting visual elements, but not much in the way of dramatic cohesion.

The book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice (Jersey Boys) features some fairly frequent laughs, and some of the jokes are quite sharp and topical. But it's not clear how much of that may have been the work of, or at the urging of, uncredited director Zaks. The result is a bunch of decent one liners connected by a contrived plot lacking any engaging or believable drama, and saddled with forced complications and pat resolutions. In brief, the Addams daughter Wednesday comes home and announces that she's going to be married, and that Gomez and Morticia had better be on their best behavior when the future in-laws come to visit. Needless to say, havoc ensues. ("The best of times is now. What's left of summer but a faded rose...") 

What's more, the story represents an unconvincing morass of forced subplots and lame narrative conceits. Bebe Neuwirth is saddled with what is probably the least interesting and justifiable narrative thread. During the entire show, she frets about growing older. And that's just about it. Bebe gets a couple of would-be showstoppers, including a tango with Gomez, but they weren't working when I saw the show in previews. Otherwise, she just frets. I'm not a huge Bebe Neuwirth fan (I've heard too many stories about how she treats her cast members and production staff), but there's no question she's a talented woman who deserves better than what she gets in this show.

As for narrative conceits, at the start of the show Uncle Fester raises the Addams ancestors from the dead, only to tell them that they can't return to the grave until love triumphs. Really? In a musical about the Addams Family? Cuz, other than the fact that dead people are involved, that seems about as far from an Addams Family conceit as you'd be likely to devise. Plus, it's just not very interesting or compelling.

Besides its flat, jokey book, The Addams Family is saddled with decidedly undistinguished songs from Andrew Lippa, who wrote the Off-Broadway The Wild Party and a few new songs for the revival of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. The Addams Family score features one lackluster, stop-and-sing, solo character song after another and not nearly enough ensemble work. The procession grows wearisome, indeed. The one fun tuneful number, "Full Disclosure," comes at the end of Act 1, by which time I had sort of given up anticipating anything of real distinction musically. Choreographer Sergio Trujillo seems to work overtime to give the show some life, but his style here is more MTV than Charles Addams.

As I said, there's considerable merriment to be had at the Lunt-Fontanne, particularly in the performance of Nathan Lane as Gomez, but also from the always hysterical Jackie Hoffman as Grandmama. The show seems to be selling like gangbusters so far, with weekly grosses well above $1 million. But will that continue after the reviews come out? Does this show have enough of a built-in audience, based on its stars and its source material, to make it review-proof?

GRADE: C- (Essentially, this season's Shrek. Strong performers and lotsa larfs, but forgettable score and forced gaiety.)

Comments

[Monica Reida]

When I saw the show at the Chicago tryout, the tango number with Gomez was literally a showstopper. It was nice, but it stopped the flow of the show and felt out of place.

It's really sad because it sounds like nothing was really changed after the Chicago tryout and it had potential.

[Andy P.]

Like Monica, I saw this in Chicago. I found the music inconsistent. Back then, the opening number was a song called "Clandango" (I'm assuming from the cast's recent appearance on Letterman that this has been replaced by "When You're An Addams") that I thought did a nice job of setting the tone...but then it's like every succeeding number was a new musical style, ala JOSEPH, which simply didn't work for me. I HATED "Full Disclosure" because it seemed the most out of place of them all.

And I agree that Morticia's midlife crisis is a daft idea. The Addams' whole schtick is that they do things differently from the rest of us. So why is Morticia's midlife crisis just like any woman's? Wouldn't Morticia--an Addams who revels in misery and despair--relish a midlife crisis?

I haven't seen the show on Broadway so, of course, everything I say pertains only to Chicago but what I saw was seriously flawed, although it showed moments of promise. I crossed my fingers that they would figure that all out, do a major overhaul for Broadway, and save the show. Doesn't sound like that happened. (Does Mr Beineke still have sex with the squid? Because, ewww.)

[ccaggiano]

Andy, it seems as though all they've really done with the show is punch it up with some jokes, replace a few numbers, and cut down the scenes and songs with the future in-laws. I'm sure that seems like a lot to the creatives, but it wasn't enough.

And I think you're right about Morticia: she would positively *revel* in growing old, getting all wrinkly, and moldering in the grave.

[ccaggiano]

I think the problems in Chicago were probably too systemic. What the show really needed was a more interesting plot, more believable and character-appropriate complications, and an entirely new score. In other words, they would have needed to start pretty much from scratch.

But, hey, it seems to be selling well. So what do we know, right?

[Monica Reida]

It might be critic proof because of the stars and because it is a recognizable title.

But it might not be a successful show. It might be, as you said, this season's Shrek

[Scot Colford]

Oh, Cagg. I am so glad I know you. You see all the drivel so I don't have to. :-)