the addams family

Once a year… it’s time for ‘Stars and the Moon Theatre’ to celebrate the stage with their intoxicating Musical Inclusical.

This year it is Wednesday and her kooky family who gather at the Alexander Theatre telling a gripping adventure with swordfights, potions, explosions, and scarier still, family dinners.

Director Lauren McKinnon, Musical Director Charlotte Greenslade, and Choreographer Benjamin Curé, together with an award-winning creative team, have brought the iconic Addams Family to life and it’s WAY better than good.

Stars and the Moon (STaM) is a unique ALL-ABILITIES theatre company. Their castmate model pairs performers with and without disabilities to support each other to make moving and accessible theatre with, not despite, their diversity. It is absolutely AMAZING! At first I did wonder “how will this work”, being on stage together as two people playing one character for all the roles in the show, but IT WORKS and dare I say it as my daughter agreed; we thought it was better than just one person.

Joining the contagious double-clap engages us immediately in the music we know so well… BA DA DA DUM… ‘click click’ and then ‘When You’re an Addams’ kicks in, I almost want to jump up to bunny hop and twist with them all giving quite the spooktacular opening.

So fantastic how they introduced all the “Ancestors” who complete the show atmosphere in strange and deranged costume sets of themes like cavemen, sailors, prisoners, clowns, ballerinas etc etc etc. Such fun and clearly this cast ensemble were loving the experience too. And the make-up, oh the make-up!

The set, the lighting and the energy from everyone on stage is so enthusiastic and who wouldn’t want to shake it with Cousin ITT – my favourite costume of seemingly bodylength dreadlocks, but can the Addam’s family be ‘normal’ for one night?

I’ve always loved the Gomez and Morticia characters. Gomez’ expression on everything is spot on, he’s so entertaining and Morticia is impeccable in her mannerisms and her unique ‘blackness’. Sometimes loving each other to bits and sometimes having a few marital issues, all four bounce off each other as if the roles were made for four people instead of two. The concept is again, genius!

 

The one-liners keep coming…. I’m still laughing at the hilarious mention of Scomo to Covid 19 and Morticia in the bedroom…

Wednesday as we all know has come into her own fame these days and it must’ve been a thrill to be cast as her – she is everything she should be and might be getting married… or will she? The acting by these girls is very good and they will keep you enthralled.

Pugsley took me back to watching him on The Addams Family re-runs as a kid and his electric chair face, ‘eeeek’… all he wants is for his sister to continue the torture…

The startling appearance of THING at the dining table was timed well and FULL DISCLOSURE showed off overwhelmingly impressive vocal talents – Alice, the mother of Lucas who might marry Wednesday, belting it out and standing on the table (a surprising move for her character) got applause that would’ve woken the dead!

Lurch and Uncle Fester were brilliant and could have stepped straight out of the TV series … they really have got all of this right and everyone plays their parts so well to intertwine this story of family differences.

So, will Gomez’ daughter Wednesday and Mal’s son Lucas tie the knot? Scenes throughout the show are full of comic emotion and messages about how to work things out, but if it all fails, well death is just around the corner to look forward to anyway.

This show was nothing like I expected. Yes, I knew it would be good as I had heard the STaM shows were high standard, but this? I did not expect a show where they could easily play in any theatre in Melbourne and still get a no-hesitation full-standing ovation from even the toughest critics. These people on stage are incredible, they absolutely crush the meaning of ‘all-abilities’, every single one of them – and their abilities as a group, WOW WOW WOW!!

My final note therefore are words from Grandma Addams “stop tik tokking and pick up a book” or grab a script – whoever you are – get into Theatre!

When I wrote this review there were very few tickets left and now they are SOLD OUT, so don’t miss their next show and check out INSTAGRAM @starsandthemoon_theatre or website https://www.starsandthemoon.org/

Theatre notes: Sign language is provided on the side stage with this show and the theatre caters for wheelchair access of course. Performers in wheelchairs are on stage too – remember, this is an ALL abilities show like no other!

Even though I did not personally know anyone in the show, I felt an immense sense of proudness on what this special theatre company had accomplished as they took their bows. Supporting the arts is so important, but supporting all-abilities in the arts, let’s champion these efforts.

Congratulations to the ENTIRE CAST & TEAM:

WEDNESDAY – Ruby Alford & Thanh-Tuok Autran
LUCAS – Alexander Gilbert & Dimitri Gosios
GOMEZ – Gabe Harari & Max Nunes Cesar
MORTICIA – Aisha Sivac & Lizzie Locke
UNCLE FESTER – Mark J Rintoull & Zac Parkes
PUGSLEY – Kade Groves & Meg Heathcote
GRANDMA – Jodi Sanders & Nixy Antmann
ALICE – Ashleigh Cole & Ellie Goldenberg
MAL – Bailey & Tal Ellinson
LURCH – Gilbert Esse & Joseph Folwell
THING – Jaimie Chapman & Viv Kane
COUSIN ITT – Zac Chester & Benji Arndt

ANCESTORS – Amy Tapp, Tamara Stanton, Asher Stanton, Brendan Saffer, Michaela Sacho, Michelle Gauci, Charli Cantoni-Bud, Lyndall Peachman, Ciara Wilson, Bille Ream, Daniel Kraus, Claudia Nanovich, Hope Challis, Monique Lustig, Uri Lowinger, Alice Johnson, Mia Penso, Adam Geller, Mark Polonsky, Conor Wilson, Theodora Tran, Cameron Miller, Kahli Anquetil-Kneale, Tahli McLean, Carlia Slade, Danni Miller, Dani Filip, Devin Goralsky, Ella Dunne Riseley, Netanel Morris, William Jasper, Lexi Kelsall, Zoe Better, Cheryl Plaut, Ebony May, Sally Elliott, Amit Shahar, Kate Skinner, Ryan Wilson.
Stage Manager: Ari Mosberg, Cast Manager: Tyla Manager, Front of House: Netanel Morris, Set Designer: Harry Gill, Costume Designer: Jessamine Moffett, Lighting Designer: Sidney Younger.

THE ADDAMS FAMILY book is by Marshal Brickman and Rick Elice, MUSIC & LYRICS by Andrew Lippa, BASED ON CHARACTERS CREATED by Charles Addams.

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