Review: Lyric's ADDAMS FAMILY Explores the Wacky Side of Darkness

Lyric Music Theater of South Portland opened its 2015-16 season with the wacky musical The Addams Family, which examines the flip side of normal in the zany antics of a ghoulish family made famous by the Charles Addams comic strip, as well as various television and screen incarnations. The show, with music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa, book by Marshall Brickman/Ricky Elice, offers a cast of crazy misfits, a script with wickedly macabre humor, and a series of musical numbers that are rousing, exotic, sometimes even romantic. Lyric Music Theater's elaborate production attempts to do the piece full justice, though it succeeds more in the individual moments than in the whole.

What seems to be missing is a brisk comic pace, both in the staging and in the musical direction, which robs the show of the rollicking romp it could be. This is due in part to Don Smith's direction, which needs to be quickened just a touch, to the often overly slow musical tempi set by Music Director Gail Parker, and to the demands of the huge, elaborate set (designed by Smith), which, for all its visual splendor, necessitated some unwieldy pauses. That said, however, Smith does direct his actors to find the mischevious, the wry, and the edge in the script with an off-handedness that is deft and amusing, and Parker does elicit several fine vocal performances and conducts a tongue-in-cheek reading of the mock lugubriousness of the score. Victoria Perreault's choreography, in this show which is laden with tangos and large ensemble numbers for the family and ancestors, is always imaginative and witty, and her musical staging creates many attractive tableaux.

Smith's Gothic-horror decor is beautifully crafted and executed and well-lit by Emily Kenny, who bathes the stage in ghostly greens and silvery moonlight. Megan Bremermann and Paul Bell's costumes are stylish and evocative, contrasting bright colors with the habitual black of the family and the creamy white of the spirit ancestors.

James Gaddis imparts to Gomez Addams, the family patriarch, a suave Latin presence, a graceful dance skill, a twinkling sense of mischief, and a fine baritone, which he uses with elegance and persuasion. Kimberly Drisko has some compelling moments as Morticia, most notably in the penultimate tango "Let Us Live Before We Die," though her voice sometimes seems to lack the heft or the sultriness for which one might wish. Shannon Oliver captures the quirkiness and vulnerability of their daughter Wednesday, and proves herself best when she has to belt a big song. Braden Foley plays the younger brother Pugsley with a winsome vulnerability, while Candy Jamerson makes for a raunchy Grandma. As the bizarre Uncle Fester, Schuyler White,not only creates a loveable, goofy portrait of this off-beat character, but he also demonstrates his considerable vocal prowess; he is able to project powerfully, hit high notes in ringing head voice, and he makes his solo "The Moon and Me" a show highlight. James Muller is energetic and pitch perfect as Lucas Beineke, Wednesday's nerdy fiancé, while Jonathan Libby and Emily Butson have their amusing moments as his stereotypical Ohioan parents. Rounding out the cast is Paul Bell, who does a delightful job of the hulking "monster" of a butler, Lurch. The eleven-members of the ancestor ensemble all nicely individualize their characters.

The Addams Family offers a charmingly nostalgic and humorous look at these American cultural icons, and Lyric has made a laudable effort to revive their zaniness.

Photos courtesy Lyric Music Theater, Brandon Pullen Photography.

The Addams Family runs from September 11 - 26, 2011 at Lyric Music Theater, 176 Sawyer St., South Portland, ME 207-799-1421 www.LyricMusicTheater.org

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