“The Addams Family”

****  The new management at The Metropolis Performing Arts Centre is truly taking this theater to new heights. It seems that as they get comfortable with the stage and the surroundings, they are improving the quality of the presentations on the stage. “The Addams Family: The Musical” is based on the TV show and has a book by Marshall Brickman & Rick Elice with music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa. Most of you probably don’t remember, but this play began in Chicago and then went on to Broadway and touring companies. I must say, Arlington Heights should be proud of the production that is currently on the stage at the Metropolis.

When we entered the venue about 15 minutes prior to the curtain time, the lobby was filled with patrons waiting to take their seats and get comfy for what turned out to be 2 ½ hours of fun. It turns out that tonight the cast had to add two of the understudies and two of the swings had to move up to their roles. As someone who has done shows, I know that nerves can get ragged during these moments and every minute seems like 5. I must tell you the two understudies were terrific. My hat goes off to both Joey Prette as Fester ( a very funny performance) and to Dani Goldberg in the role of Pugsley, the son of the family. Both of these performers never missed a beat and appeared as if they have been in these roles since day one! Congrats guys!

The story is a simple one. The Addams family is not your typical family. They reside in a huge home in te middle of Central Park. The head of the household is Gomez ( deftly handled by Enzo Donoso). His wife, the sultry and extremely sexy Morticia is played to perfection by Kaity Paschetto ( WOW!) and their daughter Wednesday ( Courtney San Pedro is a doll). As mentioned the son is played by Goldberg, filling in for Elliott Mayeda).

Wednesday has met a young man, Lucas (Dru Loman) , and they have fallen in love. He is somewhat of a nerd, with parents from Ohio who are in town ( also pretty nerdy). They are going to have dinner with the Addams family so the kids can announce their upcoming marriage. The parents are played by Christopher Johnson (Mal) and Savannah Sinclair (Alice). I must tell you that during a scene to end the first act, Alice does a number that will knock your sox off.

Let’s not forget Grandma (Jenny Rudnick) who is neither Gomez or Morticia’s mother and of course, the play is nothing without Lurch (played to perfection by Kent Joseph, who gets to do a song at the close of the play. The dead folk ( the ensemble and also the characters that change the set (designed by Eric Luchen) for a speedy changeover is composed of: Nikki Ahlf, Jenny Couch, Angel Diaz, Maya Hillman, Alex Iacobucci, Ciara Jarvis, Will Leaonard, Shaun Peters, Logan Friese and Noelle Jay ( these two did the roles that are handled by Prette and Goldberg)- well done.

Smoothly directed by Robbie Simpson with some wonderful choreography by Jeni Donahue and music direction by Aaron Kaplan this is a smooth production that shows how strong a theater can be if run by the right people.

“The Addams Family: the Musical will continue at The Metropolis Performing Arts Centre located at  111 Campbell Street thru October 8^th with performances as follows:

Thursdays  7:30 p.m.

Fridays       7:30 p.m.

Saturdays    3:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Sundays       3:00 p.m.

Tickets available at 847-577-2121 or www.metropolisarts.com

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click  “The Addams Family:The Musical”.