Last year I did a fun post for OnStage Blog where I ranked 11 Halloween themed Broadway shows. I won’t tell you where The Addams Family landed but it is unquestionably the most popular of the grouping. Regional theaters in our fair state and abroad have embraced this fun romp about the family that loves the macabre. Now Hale Center Theatre in Sandy is putting on this popular show through Nov 16th and it’s a good time for the entire family

Based on the comic strip by Charles Addams The Addams Family has music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa with a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. I won’t go into it all here but it’s a show with a fascinating evolution as it was continually reworked on its way to regional theater success.

With the production at HCT director Rob Moffat and team have nailed the most important aspect of The Addams Family– the family. The casting is spot on with Josh Richardson leading the way as the patriarch Gomez and Bailee Morris as a seductive Morticia. With these leads cast correctly half the battle is done, and HCT struck gold with these two. They have terrific chemistry together and Richardson and was particularly endearing in the best song of the show “Happy/Sad.” I also loved the choreography by Lindsey D Smith in numbers like “Tango de Amor.”

The sets by Jenn Taylor are perfect for capturing the mood and tone of the piece. In particular a 2-sided spiral staircase that was moved around to make room for many different parts of The Addams house and some of the projections by Maddy Ashton were fun like the lady on the moon winking at Festor (Dallin Bradford). Others, however, I didn’t care for as much like the giant topiary hand which looked rather garish and not in the way the Addams would approve of.

The costumes by Candice Nelson are also strong. I particularly loved the yellow dress for Wednesday (Tearza Foyston), which had just enough black to suit her personality. In addition, the costumes for the ancestors are textured and beautiful. Foyston and Richardson have a wonderful father/daughter dynamic and like I said “Happy/Sad” is the highlight of the show.

Any other complaints I have with The Addams Family are more with the show itself and there’s nothing HCT could do about it. I really dislike the “Full Disclosure” number that ends Act 1. It’s such a long sequence and nothing but a giant exposition dump mostly for the Beineke’s who I don’t care about. If it were up to me I would excise the Beineke parents completely from the show. They add little and are distracting from our main family and the relationship between Lucas (Danny Kenny) and Wednesday.

Pugsley is triple cast and the night I attended was played by John Wakley and he did struggle with the high notes in “What If” but Hiedi Mendez is a hoot as Grandma Addams. All in all it feels like a family on stage and that’s what you want out of this show. The Addams Family at HCT is a ghoulish delight perfect for this Halloween season. Take the whole family or make it a date night with you and your punishing partner. The production plays through November 16th and tickets can be purchased here.

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