NUMTSoc’s adaptation of The Addams Family was propulsive, playful and pitch perfect. The beloved gothic family was confidently headed up by charismatic and chemistry-fuelled performances from Freddie Pavoy’s Gomez and Olga Bobrakova’s Morticia. The many scenes in which the pair took centre stage made their performance no easy feat, especially with some lengthy dance choreography, but the pair made it feel effortless. From the musical numbers to the acting performances, all of the right notes were hit in terms of both humour and heart.
The broader cast of characters were brought to life by the students with an air of real tenacity and professionalism. Wednesday, played by Lexi Lott, deserves a particular shoutout for her vocal talent on musical numbers like ‘Pulled’ and ‘Crazier Than You’, which was skilfully shared with on-stage love interest, Adam Kennedy’s Lucas, who infused the entire performance with a sincere likability. The character of Uncle Fester, played by Kyle Roberts, also deserves acknowledgement for carrying the audience through the narrative with real assurance, energy and confidence.
"The humour within the script translated fluidly onto the stage..."
The humour within the script translated fluidly onto the stage, with the likes of the sadistic Puglsey Addams, played with a brilliant air of mischief by James Bowden, and the monosyllabic Lurch, played by Oliver Anderson who managed to do a great lot with very little, scoring big laughs from the crowd. Same can be said for the comedic timing of Chloe Loveland’s kooky Grandma. Alex Hunter-Jones’ Alice Beineke gave the adaptation a real sense of heart and Charles Lines impressively charted the growth of his character, Mal Beineke, culminating in a particularly scene stealing breaking dancing moment in 'Crazier Than You'.
Directing a cast of this size could not have been an easy feat but Zach Hardy, the show’s director, did a great job in making the transitions between scenes feel seamless and putting the wider set design to good use. Full company performances like 'One Normal Night' and 'Full Disclosure', which received particularly raucous applause from the audience, were a showcase of the show's commendable composition and the cast's performing talent.
"From beginning to end, I found myself utterly immersed in this musical and even wishing to watch it all over again when the curtain fell."
The staging and lighting for all of the musical numbers was faultless and made great use of the talented ensemble of Ancestors, especially in big dance choreography numbers like ‘Around the Corner’ and ‘Secrets’. A key part of the immersion came in the form of the costuming and makeup which was excellent in capturing the key essence of the iconic Addams family characters. From beginning to end, I found myself utterly immersed in this musical and even wishing to watch it all over again when the curtain fell.
Overall, I had a wonderful time watching NUMTSoc’s performance of The Addams Family and I would urge anyone who unfortunately did not have the chance to attend a performance to go see whichever production the society decide to adapt next year. I have no doubt that, heading into its forth year, the society will continue to grow in popularity, talent and scale and you can consider my ticket already purchased for the 2027 show!