Lest you believe I had no fun at all on my little vacation in New York City last week, I did spring for a night at the thee-A-ter. I saw The Addams Family, starring Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth, on Broadway. It hasn't gotten stellar reviews, but I found it to be a lot of fun with imaginative sets, great performances and a star or two who managed to cause their co-stars to break down on stage, only adding to the audience's fun.
Lane plays Gomez Addams, of course, and he adds his own special accent to the role, a bit of a Ricky Ricardo job with maybe a little Speedy Gonzalez thrown in. The accent is a useful tool for Lane, allowing him to make semi-funny lines even funnier (my favorite Gomez line: "What I lack in height, I make up for in shallowness!" he proudly proclaims in the second act). Bebe Neuwirth isn't given a lot to do but slink around with mega-cleavage (well...the dress is cut clear down to "Venezuela" as Gomez says early on, but Bebe is known for her legs, not her chest). In the second act, which is the more music-filled of the two, she's given more of a chance to sing and strut her stuff, revealing that Morticia does indeed have legs under that tight, down-to-the-floor dress, and yes, they're gartered and stockinged.
The rest of the cast is good, also, with Krysta Rodriguez as Wednesday, Jackie Hoffman as Grandma, and Kevin Chamberlin as Uncle Fester all stand-outs. Rodriguez can really belt a song (she should be on Glee) and her Wednesday is the lynchpin (in a play about Charles Addams' wacky nameless family, that word somehow seems like it should have a hidden evil meaning) of the plot: She's fallen in love with a "normal" person. The play goes on to explore--mainly in song--what the meaning of normal is as her Ohioan boyfriend and his mom and dad (played respectfully by Wesley Taylor, Terrence Mann, and Carolee Carmello) come to meet Wednesday's ooky and kooky family.
Both Lane and Jackie Hoffman brought the play to a halt at least three times with their effect on their co-stars. Lane twice got actor Terrence Mann laughing (the second time he urged him to go sit in the audience, as he was more needed there). Hoffman as Grandma brought the whole cast to laughter--and almost tears--during the dinner scene with her antics during her song in the "Full Disclosure" part of the show.
As enjoyable as the cast and songs are--there's no standout song, though--the sets and stagecraft of this show is what really makes it a wonder to behold. The 10-person "ghostly" chorus does double duty when it comes to singing and moving the set pieces around. There's some wonderfully imaginative stuff with Uncle Fester--who is in love with the moon--that involves him floating in the sky (somehow attached to a curtain, with other people providing his arms and legs) and there are also puppets. There's a giant lovestruck squid that lives under the house and Cousin It makes a brief appearance, plus Thing (the hand) is evident, as is an animated part of the curtain. The puppets and the incredible set--which places the Addams house in the middle of Central Park and utilizes a beautiful backdrop of NYC, plus numerous interior rooms on two levels--add a whole other dimension to the play and provides an amazing environment for the "family" to live in onstage.
I lucked out and got a $59 dollar seat near the top of the rear mezzanine, which only added to my appreciation of the set (even if it kept me from getting a really good peek at Bebe in all her glory). It was definitely worth it. You can go and see all the touring companies of shows you want, but there's nothing like a Broadway show ON Broadway. It's an amazing experience, and The Addams Family is proof positive of that.
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