Brisbane Arts Theatre premiere’s The Addams Family, the Musical.

After The Addams Family premiered in Sydney in 2013, Brisbane Arts Theatre have managed to score the rights to The Addams Family musical as the first community theatre group to premiere the show in Queensland.

These morbidly lovable characters from our TV sets have been turned into all-singing, all-dancing characters for the stage, but projected a few years into the future.

Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, has grown up and fallen in love, and it’s time for the parents to meet over a nice family dinner. However, Wednesday has most unconventionally fallen in love with a ‘normal’ boy who has a conservative yet kooky family of his own.

Wednesday confides in her father and now Gomez Addams must do something he’s never done before – keep a secret from his beloved wife, Morticia.

Based on characters created by cartoonist Charles Addams for the New Yorker in 1938 and adapted for the musical stage by Marshall Brickman, Rick Elice and Andrew Lippa, all the crazy Addams family favourites make an appearance including Gomez, Morticia, Uncle Fester, Grandma, Pugsley and Lurch.

Director Laraine Griffiths, did a fine job in casting the production with actors who not only possess a physical resemblance to their tv counterparts, but have the acting chops and high calibre singing voices to make this a polished and enjoyable production.

Aurelie Rouque as Morticia exuded a poised, incontestable control as the matriarch and was faultless in execution of character and vocals. Richard Murphy as Gomez was equally magnificent as an off-beat but ultimately good-hearted man torn between being a loving father and a doting husband.

Jessica Potts as Wednesday, the love struck teen with an identity crisis, was just a delight. Potts in a remarkably talent and is already carving the way for a bright future on the stage.

Special mention must also go to Samuel Thomas-Holland as the big, bald Uncle Fester. He was funny, endearingly quirky, and also commanded the stage whenever he appeared, and his highly trained singing voice was the extra cherry on top.

Connor Clarke was also well cast as Lurch, and although he had minimal lines, his presence was always felt and perfectly rounded out the cast of kooky characters.

Phillipa Rowe as Granma was a hoot, and always knows how to milk the most out of a comedic character, as does Natalie Riddout as Alice, (the mother of Wednesday’s betrothed). Riddout’s breakout number, complete with dancing on the table was a riot!

Other members of this large ensemble cast include Christopher Batkin as Lucas (the betrothed), and Pierre Nicol as Mal, (Lucas’ once rockin’, now uptight father).

The chorus of Ancestors under the musical direction of Mark Connors completed the great cast line-up with solid harmonies and well executed dance numbers, with choreography by Bronte Devine.

The Addams Family is a polished production, a great night out, and just because the leads may not be household names, doesn’t negate that this production has an all-star cast. The Addams Family runs until September 13 at Brisbane Arts Theatre.