George Chavez, Delilah Shafer and Emma Yarian (Photo by Jan Glasband)
The Addams Family
Reviewed by Socks Whitmore
Actors’ Repertory Theatre of Simi
Through Nov 12
They’re creepy, they’re kooky, and they’re just in time for spooky season: The Actors’ Repertory Theatre of Simi presents the musical adaptation of The Addams Family at the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center, under the direction of Elizabeth Stockton.
The play takes place inside a macabre mansion in Central Park, where an unusual story of forbidden romance unfolds. Wednesday Addams, the oldest daughter of the eccentric Addams clan, has secretly gotten engaged to her lover Lucas Beineke, an appallingly normal teenage boy. Everyone in the story — from Mr. and Mrs. Beineke and their faded passion to Uncle Fester and his pining for the moon — seems plagued by tension and relationship woes. But nothing stays buried in the Addams family for long.
When Wednesday — who’s invited the Beinekes over for dinner to meet her parents — discloses her nuptial news to her father Gomez (George Chavez), she makes him promise not to tell her mother Morticia. However, the unforgiving matriarch does not take kindly to dishonesty from her husband. It isn’t long before a single white lie for his daughter stirs up chaos that threatens to destroy Gomez’s entire family.
A somewhat slow-moving Act 1 at times features stilted dialogue or awkward exchanges, but the actors wholeheartedly bring the story to life with vivacious commitment. Lurch (Jacob Boscarino), the zombie-like butler, is a crowd favorite for his physical comedy. Jules Patrick as Fester is notable for their mildly unhinged nonbinary shenanigans; their dreamy solo “The Moon And Me” in particular hits a sweet spot of comic sincerity. The choreography is often creative, though some of the dance segments fall flat in execution.
This production’s strongest feature is its use of framing and shapes — for example, juxtaposing the black-garbed Addams against an ensemble of white spectral Ancestors, or the striking images crafted by director Stockton against the haunting set of the Addams mansion. Using the Addams Ancestors as backdrop also adds a delightful flavor of play — one only wishes there were more displays of their undead antics!
Everyday fans of the The Addams Family franchise were most likely hooked by the self-titled live action film released by Paramount Pictures in 1991. The Gomez and Morticia Addams in that film are famous for being exemplary parents who are extremely, unabashedly in love. In the touring version of the musical presented at SVCAC, however, this iconic element is missing — though Gomez’s devotion is just as earnest, Morticia rebukes Gomez for the slightest perceived betrayal, and goes so far as to lament her decision to become an Addams. As Gomez, Chavez renders an endearingly pathetic and comedic (if at times a little forced) persona, but without the trademark mutual infatuation, the pair’s chemistry is woefully diluted.
Other iterations of the Addams have explored romances with “normies,” but prior to the release of the Netflix series Wednesday, the musical was distinctly unique in treating Wednesday Addams as a romantically involved young adult. In the touring version’s script, this adjustment loses sight of the original character, compressing her into a more two-dimensional package without actually providing much context or reason for her attraction to Lucas. The Beineke family is strangely lacking in over-the-top “normie” vibes, not quite serving as true foils to the Addams clan. While Emma Yarian’s monotone portrayal of Wednesday is spot on and her vocals are powerful, her musical moments feel ungrounded and without real romantic chemistry or stakes.
As with any adaptation, departing from the source material may be distracting for fans of the original, but the moments of playful direction and smart humor in The Addams Family shine through.
Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center, 3050 E Los Angeles Ave Simi Valley; Fri.-Sat., 8 pm, Sat.-Sun., 2 pm; thru Nov 12; https://www.svvac.org/mainstage Running time: two hours and 40 minutes with an intermission.
