(Cover Photo: The CAST of "THE ADDAMS FAMILY" by Andrew Lippa, Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice now playing at the Boch Center Wang Theatre in Boston until March 24, 2025. Photo Courtesy Big League Productions, Inc.)

By Kevin T. Baldwin

METRMAG Reviewer

# 774-242-6724

"Give us shadows and give us gloom - broken glass in a motel room. Something fun we can all exhume and give it all tonight!"

   - ("The Addams Family") / Andrew Lippa, Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice 

The Boch Center Wang Theatre

and Big League Productions, Inc.

Present the Broadway National Tour 

of the Musical

“THE ADDAMS FAMILY”

Limited Engagement!

Music and Lyrics by Andrew Lippa 

Book by Marshall Brickman & Rick Elice

Executive Producer Daniel Sher  

Direction & Choreography by Antoinette DiPietropolo 

Music Supervisor Thomas Fosnocht

Orchestrations by Larry Hochman

Cast Includes: Rodrigo Aragón as “Gomez Addams,” Renee Kathleen Koher as “Morticia Addams,” Chris Carsten as “Uncle Fester,” Shereen Hickman as “Grandma,” Melody Munitz as “Wednesday Addams,” Logan Clinger as “Pugsley Addams,” Jackson Barnes as “Lurch,” John Adkison as “Mal Beineke,” Sarah Mackenzie Baron as “Alice Beineke,” David Eldridge as “Lucas Beineke.” 

The Addams Ancestors: Dalton Bertolone, Sarah Coleman, John Cuozzo, Max DeSantis, Lyndell Finger, Collin Hendley, Alyssa Jacqueline, Samantha Parada, Alex Pletikapich, Sophie Rapiejko, Delaney Shea, Gretchen Vosburgh

Understudies: For Gomez Addams—John Adkison, John Cuozzo; For Morticia Addams—Samantha Parada. Gretchen Vosburgh; For Uncle Fester—John Cuozzo, Max Desantis; For Grandma—Sophie Rapiejko, Gretchen Vosburgh; For Wednesday Addams—Sarah Coleman, Alyssa Jacqueline; For Pugsley Addams—Lyndell Finger, Alex Pletikapich; For Lurch—Dalton Bertolone, Max Desantis; For Mal Beineke—John Cuozzo, Max Desantis; For Alice Beineke—Sophie Rapiejko, Gretchen Vosburgh; For Lucas Beineke—Dalton Bertolone, Alex Pletikapich.

Swings: John Cuozzo, Gretchen Vosburgh

Additional Creative Team:

Set Design - Randel Wright; Sound Design - Anthony Lopez, Timothy Riggs; Technical Supervisor - James Book; Tour Press & Marketing - True Marketing, Wendy J. Connor; Casting Director - Alison Franck, C.S.A.; Costume Design - Tristan Raines; Lighting & Video Design - Charles Ford; Associate Director & Associate Choreographer - Emilie Renier; Hair & Makeup Coordinator - Lisha Michel; General Management - Big League Productions, Zach Krohn; Company Manager - Shawn Passero; Production Stage Manager - Riley Gibson; Dance Captain - Alyssa Jacqueline;Assistant Dance Captain - John Cuozzo.

Performances:

March 21, 2025 through March 24, 2025

(Contact Venue for Exact Times)

BOCH CENTER WANG THEATRE, 270 Tremont Street, Boston, MA. 02116 

TICKETS:

TICKET PRICES Start at $35.00

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PARKING BOOK PARKING

COVID 19 PROTOCOLS

Contact Venue for Most Updated COVID-19 Safety Protocols and Information.

(Warning: The following review contains spoilers)

Big League Productions, Inc. has exhumed the Andrew Lippa musical, "THE ADDAMS FAMILY" for a National Tour at The Boch Center Wang Theatre and, without a doubt, this “altogether ookie” production is as fun and lively as ever. 

All the performances excel and the production values for this latest tour are simply off the charts. 

The show is comprised of a wildly haunting score that proves that, when you're mounting an "ADDAMS FAMILY" musical, you "need to have a sense of humor."  

Thankfully, under Executive Producer Daniel Sher, and with guidance from the National Tour’s director and choreographer, Antoinette DiPietropolo, this talented cast and creative team bring a sense of humor that has audiences leaving with a smile. 

Aiding DiPietropolo on the Big League Productions production side is Music Supervisor Thomas Fosnocht with majestic Orchestrations supplied by Larry Hochman. 

From the moment you hear the iconic theme song to the original television show begin, fingers will begin snapping or hands will begin clapping, indicating everyone is ready to have some fun. 

Then the show moves into new territory with a completely different musical approach.  

The show is based upon "THE ADDAMS FAMILY" macabre cartoon characters created by Charles Addams.  

"THE ADDAMS FAMILY" has a pleasing score featuring music and lyrics by Lippa with a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. 

To lift from the show, this is a musical that can be enjoyed by "the living, the dead and the undecided."  

Lippa would ultimately be nominated for a Tony Award for Best Score. 

However, if one examines the Brickman/Elice book closely, it bears a strong resemblance to George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart's "You Can't Take It with You."   

In "You Can't Take It with You," the story revolves around two lovers whose families meet and they couldn't be more different. 

(Photo: The CAST of "THE ADDAMS FAMILY" by Andrew Lippa, Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice now playing at the Boch Center Wang Theatre in Boston until March 24, 2025. Photo Courtesy Big League Productions, Inc.)

Such is the plot of "THE ADDAMS FAMILY"...only, in this case, the story begins in front of a mausoleum with one of the most delightful and fun opening numbers ever - "When You're an Addams" - as performed by the entire "ADDAMS FAMILY" and their Ancestors. 

These Ancestors play a pivotal role throughout the show, as the talented Ensemble not only interacts with characters during scenes they also aid in every scene change. 

Costuming and make-up for all the characters including the Ancestors are simply ghoulish…I mean, "gorgeous." 

Wednesday ADDAMS (Melody Munitz), now an adult, meets and falls for Lucas (David Eldrid) and tells her father, Gomez (Rodrigo Aragón), that they plan to marry.   

Wednesday begs Gomez not to tell his wife and her mother, Morticia (Renee Kathleen Koher), about the impending nuptials just yet and that is where the fun begins. 

The chemistry between Aragón and Koher as the iconic couple is unmistakable, with Aragón having a slight edge on fully capturing adoring husband and hopeless romantic Gomez, who finds himself torn between those two things in this story. 

Although there have been several television and film adaptations of the "altogether ookie" ADDAMS, with the most recent being the Netflix series "Wednesday," the musical homage was the first stage show to be based on the characters. 

(Photo: Renee Kathleen Koher as “Morticia” with Rodrigo Aragón as “Gomez” in the musical "THE ADDAMS FAMILY" by Andrew Lippa, Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice now playing at the Boch Center Wang Theatre in Boston until March 24, 2025. Photo Courtesy Big League Productions, Inc.)

"THE ADDAMS FAMILY" musical opened on Broadway in 2010 with a superb cast that included Nathan Lane as “Gomez” and Bebe Neuwirth as “Morticia.”  

The production ran until the end of 2011 and was nominated for two Tony Awards: one for Andrew Lippa’s score and one for the supporting performance of Kevin Chamberlin as “Uncle Fester.”  

The original Broadway set design for "ADDAMS FAMILY" won a Drama Desk Award and an Outer Critics Circle Award. 

Lane would also be honored with the 2010 Drama League Award for Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theatre. 

As part of some bizarre plan, Wednesday coerces her parents into inviting over to dinner the parents of secret fiancé Lucas, Mal (John Adkison) and Alice Beineke (Sarah Mackenzie Baron), a more conservative couple. 

Then again, when it comes to "THE ADDAMS FAMILY," almost EVERY other family could be considered "more conservative."  

Adkison and Baron as the Beinekes bring a lot of routine “straight man” moments to the script, reacting to the nonsense and mayhem going on around them.

However, Baron soon breaks away from "routine" the moment she begins to sing, effortlessly combining her perfect comedic timing with her powerful voice. 

(Photo: Melody Munitz as “Wednesday” tortures Logan Clinger as her brother “Pugsley” during the song "Pulled" from the musical "THE ADDAMS FAMILY" by Andrew Lippa, Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice now playing at the Boch Center Wang Theatre in Boston until March 24, 2025. Photo Courtesy Big League Productions, Inc.)

Morticia and Gomez reluctantly agree to Wednesday's wishes but the secret Gomez keeps from his wife is unbearable as he coveys in the consecutive songs, "Two Things/Wednesday's Growing Up/Three Things." 

There are some fine duets in the score, including "Trapped," "Live Before We Die" and the Tango number, "Tango De Amour." 

Of the more upbeat numbers includes a song that might prove dangerous to one’s health, "Crazier Than You," as sung by Wednesday and Lucas (joined in a reprise later by Alice and Mal). 

As Wednesday, Munitz astonishes with her vocal prowess as she renders the song "Pulled" opposite Logan Clinger as her brother, "Pugsley," which is one of the musical highlights of the show. 

Clinger later similarly dazzles us with his incredible voice during Pugsley’s song, “What If?” 

As Morticia, Koher amuses us with the lilting, "Just Around the Corner" supported by the Ancestors, while Aragón touches our hearts as he renders the more somber, "Happy Sad." 

(Photo: The Addams Ancestors in a moment from "THE ADDAMS FAMILY" by Andrew Lippa, Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice now playing at the Boch Center Wang Theatre in Boston until March 24, 2025. Photo Courtesy Big League Productions, Inc.)

Chris Carsten gives an admirable performance as our amiable guide throughout the evening, “Uncle Fester.” 

Fester, aided by the Ancestors, sings to us of the concept of love in a sort of "preamble" to the song, "Let's Not Talk About Anything Else But Love." 

Then, later, Fester confesses of his own love for some…one?…as expressed in the visually delightful production number, "The Moon and Me."  

One must note the odd plot point whereby these Ancestors are supposed to have exited after the opening number, but have supposedly been "trapped" here on Earth by Fester for a highly secret purpose.

And yet, NONE of the other "ADDAMS FAMILY" members (living or undecided) seem to be surprised in the least by the dead Ancestors' lingering presence on the property? 

Now THAT seems "altogether ookie."

(Photo: The CAST of "THE ADDAMS FAMILY" by Andrew Lippa, Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice now playing at the Boch Center Wang Theatre in Boston until March 24, 2025. Photo Courtesy Big League Productions, Inc.)

Rounding out the Big League Productions cast are the hilarious Shereen Hickman as “Grandma ADDAMS” (although her actual family link is a tad bit unclear) and equally amusing Jackson Barnes as the family butler “Lurch.” 

One can also expect a few cameo appearances from "ADDAMS FAMILY" classic characters including “Thing” and “Cousin It.” 

In addition to the Act One opener, musical highlights featuring the entire Ensemble include "One Normal Night," the act one closer, "Full Disclosure" and in the show's finale, the more ominous sounding, "Move Toward the Darkness."  

Every combined technical element - from costumes, sets, make-up, lighting, sound, special effects and more - not only propels the story forward but also dazzles us from the outset. 

Above all else this show is fun - complete and total (and bizarre) fun. 

So, as Big League Productions’ National Tour of "THE ADDAMS FAMILY" continues at The Boch Center Wang Theatre until March 24^th, 2025, it is highly recommended everyone go and "pay a call on" this wonderful family.

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Approximately two hours, 40 minutes with one intermission.  

Kevin T. Baldwin is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA)

@MetrmagReviews  

@Theatre_Critics 

ABOUT THE SHOW

In the musical comedy “THE ADDAMS FAMILY” - Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, has grown up and fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family. 

A man her parents have never met. 

And if that weren't upsetting enough, she confides in her father and begs him not to tell her mother. 

Now, Gomez Addams must do something he's never done before - keep a secret from his beloved wife, Morticia. 

Everything will change for the whole family on the fateful night they host a dinner for Wednesday's "normal" boyfriend and his parents. 

On the heels of "Wednesday" - the 3rd most-watched show on Netflix of all time - Big League Productions, Inc. presents “THE ADDAMS FAMILY,” a devilishly delightful musical comedy based on the creepy, kooky characters by legendary cartoonist Charles Addams.  

ABOUT THE WANG AND SHUBERT THEATRES

Just as the city and audience have evolved with the times, the Boch Center, as guardian of the WANG and SHUBERT THEATRES (and from 2012-15, the Center also managed the historic Emerson Colonial Theatre), has changed to meet the needs of its community. Uniquely using a Balanced Scorecard (a Fortune 500 management framework), strategy map, and strategic dashboard, the Boch Center ensures that our Theatres and programs stay relevant to the community we serve. Today, the Boch Center is considered a best practice institution and nonprofit arts leader. With the belief that arts make and keep us a civilized nation, the Boch Center is dedicated to providing high-quality, diverse and culturally relevant arts and entertainment, and arts education programming for New England residents and visitors.

ABOUT THE BOCH CENTER

The Boch Center is one of the nation’s leading nonprofit performing arts institutions and a guardian of the historic WANG and SHUBERT THEATRES. As New England’s largest cultural venue, the Boch Center is home to theater, classical and popular music, dance, comedy, opera, Broadway musicals, family entertainment, and more. Located in Boston’s historic Theater District, the Boch Center also offers a diverse mix of educational, cultural and community outreach initiatives, including the City Spotlights Leadership Program and the Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame; collaborates with artists and local nonprofit arts organizations; preserves historic venues; and acts as a champion for Greater Boston’s arts and cultural community. 

Learn more at bochcenter.org.