Review: The Addams Family at Birmingham Hippodrome

Kooky clan The Addams Family have arrived in the neighbourhood…well, at the Birmingham Hippodrome, where they are on stage this week. I didn’t quite know what to expect from The Addams Family musical, but I had no idea that it would be absolutely fantastic.

Taking my seat in the theatre, there was a real buzz from families who have obviously adored The Addams Family cult 90s films at home. Soon the classic theme tune came on and we all clicked along whilst the star-studded cast took to the stage. I was hooked already.

Les Dennis as Uncle Fester and Dickon Gough as Lurch. Credit: Matt Martin.

The cast itself is made up of Family Fortunes host turned Coronation Street heart breaker Les Dennis, who took on the role as the loveable Uncle Fester and Eastenders star Samantha Womack, who plays the incredibly sexy Morticia Addams.

The plot itself follows a grown-up Wednesday Addams –  played by the brilliant Carrie Hope Fletcher, – falling in love and secretly becoming engaged to their family’s worst nightmare…a normal boy. All Wednesday and her beau, Lucas, want is for their families to meet and have a normal evening together. But of course, this is The Addams Family, and they are far from normal.

The story is heart-warming, yet absolutely hilarious and with fantastic comedic timing from father Gomez Addams, played by Cameron Blakely, Wednesday’s facial expressions and son Pugsley’s menacing. The comedy highlight comes from Dickon Gough though, who took on the role of Lurch like his life had been leading up to that very moment, he was perfect for the job.

The set was designed beautifully and took us smoothly between scenes, from various rooms in the Addams Family home to the graveyard and the woods of Central Park in New York. The ensemble, who are the family’s dead relatives, also do a great job of making the stage colourful and a lot of fun.

Where the story lacks depth is made up with a range of wonderful music numbers. Particularly good numbers came in the form of When You’re An Addams, Crazier Than You and The Moon and Me.

Cameron Blakely as Gomez Addams and Samantha Womack as Morticia Addams. Credit: Matt Martin.

However, the best performance is by far Wednesday’s musical number Pulled. In fact, Carrie Hope Fletcher was the star of the show in my eyes. The 24-year-old has become a star in her own right in recent years thanks to a successful YouTube channel and a series of books, but she is made for the stage, especially with her voice.

Other stand out performances came from Gomez Addams, who managed to captivate the audience and get us on his side, Lucas’ mother Alice Beineke, played by Charlotte Page and Samantha Womack’s role of Morticia. She simply owned the stage with her ghostly walk and tango dancing.

The Addams Family musical was incredibly enjoyable, very funny and makes for a wonderful night at the theatre, the perfect way to spend the evening with your very own quirky family.

Rating: 9/10