Musical full of humor and talent

A familiar theme begins to play throughout the theater, the audience snapping along. The curtain rises, and there they are. A group of cadaverous, corpse-like figures: The Addams Family.

The Addams family is a musical comedy put on by the Good Company Players in the Roger Rockas theater. The musical is a tad dark, as should be expected with a family like the Addams. Riddled with a few mature themes, the show proves to be an absolute riot when it comes to the jokes.

The story follows the Addams’ daughter, Wednesday (Kindle Cowger), who’s now much older than she appeared in the famed TV show. Her interests have shifted from the family’s usual interests like death, dark colors, and shooting down dinner with a crossbow in Central Park. Wednesday finds herself in love, dreaming of cheery places and colors. She wants to get married to the man she met, Lucas (Adrian Ammsso), and she really wants her family’s approval. The thing is, her family isn’t exactly what one might call ‘normal’. So when she invites Lucas and his parents, Alice (Jessica Sarkisian) and Mal (Gordon Moore), over for dinner, she wants this day to be as regular as possible.

But what does ‘normal’ mean, really? To Wednesday, normal is the exact opposite of what her family is, so trying to have a plain old dinner won’t exactly be easy. Especially when she asks her father, Gomez (Tyler Branco), to keep the engagement a secret from her mother Morticia (Paige Parker). But Morticia and Gomez promised never to keep secrets from each other, and Lucas’s family will be over any minute.

To make matters worse, Wednesday’s brother, Pugsley (Connor Pofahl), doesn’t want his sister to grow up and move away. He is determined to do whatever it takes to get her to stay home. It adds up to be a chaotic and hilarious combination.

The performers were fantastic, especially Wednesday’s ability to keep her straight faced murderous glare throughout even the funniest parts of the musical. All of the cast are incredibly talented singers, pull of every gag and joke skillfully and wonderful actors. The whole theater often ended up doubled over in laughter.

On top of that, the musical was well produced, with eye catching costumes and props. From large lizards, to the family’s Cousin It (with long hair from head to the floor), to Thing, the resident floating hand. They’re fun and well made, adding that much more to production.

The musical numbers are an absolute delight to listen to, both beautiful and filled with jokes and clever wit. The whole company’s singing abilities are up to par with their acting – both of which are incredibly good.

The story itself is well written and put together, but not something that will have you on the edge of your seat. It makes for a fun ride, but the jokes and the actor’s charm and talent are what truly make the production enjoyable.

It feels wrong not to mention the Good Company Players’ Junior Company, who opened before the main musical. The group is incredibly talented, all with amazing singing voices. It adds to the appeal of the whole production, and is a complete joy to watch live.

The Addams Family not a show to take the kids to, but a great laugh and very entertaining, even if the story might not be the most interesting. It still manages to be engaging and full of goofy and well timed jokes. There were a bit too many mature jokes when it comes to personal taste, but still hilarious none the less. The musical, along with the Jr Company make for a wonderful, laugh filled night.

For ticket information, visit the Good Company Players’ site or order tickets online at the Roger Rockas site.

This writer can be reached via Twitter: @ejLadd

For more entertainment, read the Oct. 8 article, Feather highlights: ‘Frame Rate’ blog