DORMAN ENTERTAINMENT.com – The Addams Family (musical), presented by the Americana Theatre Company at the Spire Center in Plymouth, successfully pairs an eccentric, familiar cast of characters with a deeply relatable family dilemma. The plot follows an 18-year-old Wednesday Addams, who intends to marry Lucas Beineke—a young man from a “normal” family. Naturally, she is terrified of how her macabre clan will behave when the two families finally meet for dinner at the Addams mansion.
The musical originally opened on Broadway in 2010, starring Nathan Lane as Gomez and Bebe Neuwirth as Morticia. Based on the classic Charles Addams cartoons, the show features a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice (Jersey Boys) and music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa (The Wild Party, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown). Despite its heavy-hitting creative star power, the original Broadway iteration was met with mixed reviews and closed after less than two years.
However, after a major creative overhaul—which included retooling the storyline, cutting some songs, and adding new ones—The Addams Family transformed into a highly successful touring production. The Chicago Sun-Times noted at the time that the revisions made the show “much more relaxed and infinitely funnier.” It has since become a staple for theater groups of all sizes. Its versatility allows it to thrive on smaller stages with a compact cast like this one (15 actors), or on grander stages with larger ensembles that lean into elaborate, show-stopping dance numbers.
Director Marianne Savell, whose previous work with Americana includes The Three Musketeers, It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, and Moonlight and Magnolias, returns to helm this compact yet thoroughly entertaining production. The show features a wonderful mix of familiar Americana favorites alongside a few talented guest artists.
In this iteration, Wednesday Addams (Finley Gould)—the ultimate goth chick with a notorious penchant for cruelty—is all grown up and madly in love with Lucas (Caleb Gould), a sweet guy from a conservative Ohio upbringing. When Wednesday confides her marriage plans to her father, Gomez (Derek Grant Martin), she begs him to keep it a secret from her mother, Morticia (Payton Gobielle), until the dinner party concludes. This forces Gomez into uncharted territory: keeping a secret from his wife for the very first time.
The storyline moves along at a brisk, engaging clip, and the eclectic variety of musical styles easily keeps the audience’s attention. While this production utilizes recorded tracks rather than a live orchestra—which might detract from the experience for some—it undoubtedly helps keep ticket prices accessible at under $50.
Technically, Emily Payson and Pat Dzierzak deliver impeccable sound design, seamlessly balancing the recorded music, sound effects, and cast vocals. Derek Grant Martin’s set design and Heather Crocker’s lighting beautifully complement the Spire Center’s permanent, naturally gothic features—especially the dramatic high perch above center stage. On the downside, a few staging elements fall flat: the rack Wednesday uses to “torture” Pugsley (Austin Dann) feels underwhelming, and the short, unadorned dinner table diminishes the theatrical impact of Alice Beineke’s (Erin Friday) dramatic first-act finale, “Full Disclosure.” Fortunately, the costuming by Brian W. Kenerson and Payton Gobielle is spot on, perfectly capturing the characters’ iconic looks with flare.
Serving as our inimitable narrator is Nick Hancock as Uncle Fester. Sweet, energetic, and unapologetically romantic, Hancock guides the audience with delightful vaudevillian antics while interacting with the Addams’ ghostly ancestors. Fester will do anything for love, a devotion beautifully captured in his tender performance of “The Moon and Me,” which showcases Hancock’s impressive vocal range alongside lovely backing harmonies from the female ancestors.
Martin and Gobielle anchor the production, setting up the show’s central comedic conflict and resolving it with wonderful chemistry. “Trapped” gives Martin an early opportunity to shine, channeling Gomez’s hilarious internal panic. In the second act, Gobielle commands the stage in “Death is Just Around the Corner,” singing and dancing alongside the ancestors in an upbeat, show-stopping number that perfectly highlights the show’s morbid humor (“Death is just around the coroner—get it?”). Together, the duo delivers a marvelous grand finale to their domestic dispute, executing a passionate “Tango de Amor” in classic Gomez and Morticia style (“Cara Mia!”).
Finley Gould shines as Wednesday, nailing every deadpan expression, sharp movement, and vocal line. She delivers powerful vocals on “Pulled” (alongside Austin Dann’s Pugsley) and “Crazier than You” (with Caleb Gould’s Lucas). Finley successfully balances Wednesday’s wilder instincts—like terrorizing her brother and wielding a crossbow—with the genuine tenderness she feels for her father and fiancé. Caleb Gould holds his own as Lucas, proving that despite his character’s straight-laced upbringing, he has exactly the kind of edge needed to be Wednesday’s match. Nerdy yet cool, the two share great on-stage chemistry.
The supporting cast turns in highly entertaining performances as well. Erin Friday deftly navigates Alice Beineke’s transformation, moving from sweet, rhyming pleasantries to an uninhibited, vamped-up second act, while David Friday’s Mal Beineke hilariously reconnects with his inner rock star. Dann portrays Pugsley’s evolution from an irritating little brother to a longing sibling with wonderful nuance. Kenerson brings a hilarious, Jack Black-esque energy to Grandmama, while Jesse Sullivan offers a more expressive, stylized take on Lurch. Though Sullivan’s performance—at one point channeling Christopher Lloyd from Back to the Future—felt excessive on opening night, it remains a memorable interpretation.
Overall, audiences won’t be disappointed. This is a genuinely fun, spirited show presented with flair by a highly talented ensemble.
The Addams Family (musical) runs at the Spire Center in Plymouth through July 26. Tickets and information are available at americanatheatre.org. General admission is $45, with a discounted rate of $40 available for seniors and students.
By Jim Dorman
