The Addams Family at Draper Historic Theatre

I haven't been to the Draper Historic Theatre since I went with my cousins Emily and Julie to see Once Upon a Mattress in 2009! I returned last night for a production of The Addams Family because is it even October if you don't see this show? I had so much fun (even though I thought it started at 7:30 instead of 7:00 and barely made it after having to park two blocks away). The Addams family is not like other families because they are all obsessed with death and the macabre and rely on their dead ancestors to help them through life. Complications ensue when Wednesday (Olivia Lane) falls in love with Lucas Beineke (Elijah Carillo), a normal Midwestern boy, and wants to introduce his uptight parents, Mal (Jonathan Saul) and Alice (Ayssa Powers), to her father Gomez (Brett Lyman), her mother Morticia (Beth Weber), her brother Pugsley (Kai Sanders), her uncle Fester (Keith Nielson), her Grandma (Laura Shipp), and her family's manservant Lurch (Cameron Hess). She arranges a dinner and begs her family for one normal night but, of course, things go wrong when a mishap involving a poisonous potion occurs during a game of Full Disclosure. It is up to Uncle Fester, with the help of the ancestors, to convince everyone that love is the answer! The cast is fantastic because everyone is perfectly suited to their role! Lyman and Weber have some hilarious interactions with each other and I especially loved their version of "Tango de Amor" because Weber is at least a foot taller than Lyman so their lifts and dips are highly amusing! Lane has both the look (I love that she sports Wednesday's signature braids) and the voice for this iconic character and her renditions of "Pulled" and "Crazier Than You" are really powerful and were the highlights of the show for me. Sanders is adorable as Pugsley (he sings "What If" with a lot of emotion) and Hess is an absolute hoot as Lurch (he is so perfect for the role that he doesn't even wear platform shoes). I also really enjoyed Carillo (he reminded me of the actor George MacKay) because he is endearingly awkward. The choreography is a lot of fun and I liked how the ancestors are integrated, especially in "When You're an Addams," "One Normal Night," "But Love," "Secrets," "Full Disclosure," "Just Around the Corner," and "The Moon and Me" (another highlight of the show). I was really impressed with the costumes and I don't know which I liked more: Gomez's burgundy velvet smoking jacket, Morticia's slinky black lace gown, or Wednesday's black jumper and white blouse. The costumes for the ancestors are also quite elaborate with lots of quirky details to enhance the characterization (I loved the hoop skirt for Marie Antoinette). Finally, the set is minimal but very effective. The stage is configured as a spooky graveyard in the woods with simple pieces brought on stage (my favorites were Gomez's collection of Medieval torture devices) and projections for various rooms in the Addams mansion. I recommend this as a fun show to see with the whole family for Halloween (go here for tickets). It runs on various days through Oct. 30.

Note: I will definitely be back for their production of Elf The Musical because is it even December if you don't see this show?