Reviewed by: Felicity Siegenthaler

St Hilda’s production of Addams Family was a killer hit! The kooky musical comedy brings everybody’s favourite family of darkness on a light-hearted journey of love, growth, and acceptance. The story follows the iconic Wednesday Addams, who has now grown up, fallen in love, and becomes engaged to a conventional young man called Lucas Beineke. After organising a dinner party at the Addams Family Manor for the two families to meet, she confides in her father about the engagement and begs him to keep it a secret. Through exposed truths and comical misunderstandings, chaos unravels throughout the night, and we’re left to wonder if these polar opposite families will ever get along? 

Directed by Charlie Dohler, this production of Addams Family was far from normal, with its unexpected yet delightful contemporary choices that left the audience cackling in their seats. An electric rendition of “When You’re An Addams” opened the show with a bang, where the audience erupted with excitement upon the reveal of the ghastly family silhouette. This energy carried through to the performance, with powerful vocal harmonies and an ensemble demonstrating impressive ghoulish physicality with the choreography, the talent was off the charts.

Led by the powerhouse duo Will Munday and Abbey Miller as Gomez and Morticia Addams, the cast brought vibrant expression and characterisation to the stage, with their energetic performances highlighting the hilarious chaos of the show. Munday was truly born for the role of Gomez, with his witty and flamboyant portrayal receiving enthusiastic responses from the audience throughout the entire show. His energetic facial expressions and movement, perfectly contrasted the refined, wise, and powerful interpretation of Miller’s Morticia, heightening the beautiful chemistry between the pair, especially in “Live Before We Die”.  Jacinta ‘Jason’ Baker brought great sass and sarcasm to her contemporary Wednesday Addams, with her powerful pop sounding vocals in ‘Pulled’ and feisty line delivery. It was really heart-warming to see this usually deadpan character become a quirky young woman navigating the rollercoaster of love and acceptance of identity.

The rest of the featured cast also supplied many hilarious performances, with Harriet Jones’ Fester Addams acting as a mischievous, kooky guide throughout the show, supported by the whimsical greek chorus ensemble. The ensemble was able to show off their impeccable dancing skills through lyrical combos and saucy tangos, with the heart-warming interpretation “The Moon and Me” being a highlight. The depiction of Fester’s adored moon as an elegant ribbon dancer, highlighted by the sparkly silver costume was a real treat to watch. The rest of the Addams family: Lurch (Marc Silins), Pugsley (Georgie Macho) and Grandma (Jessie Williams), demonstrated great individual characterisations and used their excellent comedic timing to their advantage. The Beineke family trio also showcased great stage presence and it was great to see how the 3 of them blossomed through the influence of the unconventional Addams Family. 

The hidden stars of this show were the production’s 16-piece band led by music director Bailey Montgomerie. The team demonstrated great skill and capability as they seamlessly transitioned through a great range of musical styles such as big band jazz, Spanish flamenco, contemporary pop, and traditional musical theatre. These musicians were able to play with great clarity of tone whilst blending together in harmony, and Montgomerie ensured the rhythms were kept tight and bright. Overall, the pit orchestra did an exceptional job assisting the cast by bringing Lippa’s whimsical score to life. 

The show was supported by incredible sound design (Finley Edmonds), with an effortless blend of the orchestra and vocal microphones creating the perfect volume for the audio soundscape. The set (Victoria Biggs) although minimal was quite sweet, with the painted flats reminiscent of cartoon storybook imagery. However, more actor interaction and onstage engagement with the set would’ve been ideal, as the set felt quite distanced from the scenes occurring onstage and it took a conscious effort to notice its presence. The inky blue hues of Lachlan Careedy’s lighting design were effective in amplifying the spookiness and mysterious settings of the story. However, at times the dim lighting made it difficult to see actor’s facial expressions, and perhaps diminished the set further with its darkness.

Overall, St Hilda’s Addams Family the Musical is a celebration of student capability, with a vast array of talent and skill amongst the various student-led departments. The show was a hilarious night out, filled with many charming moments that the audience could resonate with. Dohler’s direction fostered great experimentation and vibrancy within the performances on stage, and I hope to see these fresh and contemporary interpretations carry onto St Hilda’s future productions.

The Addams Family played at the Union Theatre from August 31st – September 2nd, 2023.