Reviewed by Sophie Ross
Tuesday 26th September 2017
Reviewer rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
This week, the Addams Family UK Tour stops at the New Victoria Theatre in Woking and we took a trip to see the cooky clan in action. This comedy horror musical genre, tells the story of Wednesday Addams (Carrie Hope Fletcher) as she falls for “normal” boy Lucas Beineke (Oliver Ormson). Worried what her Mother Morticia (Samantha Womack) may think, she confides in her Father Gomez (Cameron Blakely) but with secrets come consequences. Featuring an absolute stellar soundtrack and from what we’ve heard, the show has gone from strength to strength since opening back in April, we were excited to be in the audience. Starting the show with a catchy song “When You’re An Addams”, its safe to say that the audience were hooked from the get go. With the all so famous Addams Family clicks and a sea of smiles on faces, we knew we were in for a great night.
The show features a great bill of performers, all of which play vital parts in what makes this company so strong. Carrie Hope Fletcher proves why she is one of the strongest and acclaimed performers as she puts on a powerful performance as troubled teen Wednesday. She has so much light and shade to her acting abilities and it shines through in this role. Her vocals captivate the audience and you can tell that she puts her heart and soul into every word that she sings.
Womack plays Morticia with sass and you’ll leave mesmersed by Blakely’s performance as Gomez – the pair making the perfect duo. They play the balance of a married couple with charm and truth and work incredibly well together. Their shining moment in Act 2 when they tango and quite honestly, it’s something very special.
As well as seriousness, the show is filled with comedy from the other principles. Scott Paige inparticually caught our eye. Stepping into the role of Fester on the night that we attended, he played that character with ease. With incredible comedic timing, a brilliant vocal and just generally a whole bag of fun, we loved his performance and it was a joy to see his portrayal of the character.
The theme of acceptance runs throughout this piece and teaches us to embrace the differences we all have. The lyrics by Andrew Lippa fit the complexities of the story and fit the show perfectly. The book, by Rick Elice may not be the most original storyline to ever come to light but with a cast as good as they’ve got, the story becomes important and is very well put across to the audience. It really is a show filled with almost every emotion you can imagine but makes for a wonderful night out at the theatre.
To find a tour date near you, head to the website: https://www.theaddamsfamily.co.uk/tour/
You can check out our interview with Carrie here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Di-omRBcmqQ&t=736s
The Theatre Hub 