All Entries in the "Creative Team" Category
Chicago sees The Addams Family National Tour Show as “significantly improved and far more satisfying”
Successfully remade ‘Addams Family’ adds the charm missing from Broadway version
Cast of The Addams Family
Chris Jones
Theater critic, The Chicago Tribune
1:32 p.m. CST, December 28, 2011
“The Addams Family” is not the first musical whose first national tour has been infinitely better than the Broadway production that gave birth to it: such past shows as “Big” and “The Civil War” were also greatly improved. But in most of these rare cases, different directors have retooled existing material. It’s hard to think of another show that has been revised so heavily and, for the most part, successfully, by its admirably indefatigable original authors and composer.
“The Addams Family” that return(ed) to Chicago…(did) not come with Nathan Lane, Bebe Neuwirth and the sense of must-see excitement and pumped-up pizazz that pervaded its pre-Broadway engagement at the Oriental Theatre in 2009. That’s the downside. But if Gomez, Morticia and the crew do not arrive like rock stars, this enjoyable if visually simplified national tour features many different songs from the Chicago tryout and a significantly improved and far more satisfying story.
And yes, it is plenty different enough that fans of the “Addams Family” franchise, especially those who have followed this show through its various traumas and trajectories (which we’ve extensively reported in these pages), might find it worth buying a cheap seat at the back and seeing what has gone on since Uncle Fester last fell in love with a Chicago moon. If you’re interested in seeing how multimillion-dollar shows can morph, you’ll find it quite fascinating. And I’ll guarantee you one thing: it won’t seem like the same show.
Finally, the director Jerry Zaks (who replaced Phelim McDermott during the first Chicago run) has been allowed to finish his kind of classic musical-comedy approach, most of the buzz-killing structural issues in the book have been resolved and, perhaps most importantly of all, everyone on the stage now comes off as sufficiently loose and relaxed that the zesty one-liners get to do their collective thing, and the show is actually allowed to be unpretentious and funny. This third shot at the piece by writers Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice and composer Andrew Lippa most certainly has the most charm and efficacy. If only everyone had started somewhere near here. But then, if this stuff were easy, everyone would do it.
Rick Elice’s Peter and the Starcatcher in Previews
Peter and the Starcatcher, created by Rick Elice (The Addams Family, Jersey Boys), Roger Rees (The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickelby, [soon to be] The Addams Family), and Alex Timbers (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson), is now in previews at New York Theatre Workshop. In the play, a company of 12 actors play some 50 characters on a journey to answer the century-old questions: How did Peter become The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up?
Broadway friend Pamela Singer saw the show last week and had this to say: Saw Rick Elice’s new play “Peter And The Starcatcher” last night. Brilliant, touching, and funny, not unlike the man himself. Rick is a genius and a mench!
Robert Simonson of Playbill.com wrote a fantastic article that gives insight into the background of the show, and the men involved. Click here to read that article.
Rick Elice Takes A Trip Down Memory Lane
A trip down memory lane for ‘Jersey Boys’ co-author
Posted by Don Aucoin, January 5, 2011 03:18 PM, Boston.com
The Colonial Theatre, Boston
When ”Jersey Boys” coauthor Rick Elice read in the Globe yesterday that his show had broken a weekly box-office record at the Colonial Theatre, pulling in $1.1 million for the week that ended Sunday, he got very excited - and not just for the financial reasons you’d expect.
It turns out that the Colonial has occupied a rather substantial place in Elice’s heart for decades.
“The Colonial is a theater that, for me, is one of the great places in the world,” Elice said today in a telephone interview. “It’s a beautiful, beautiful theater. I never dreamed that ‘Jersey Boys’ would play there, so I was very happy to hear that it broke the record.”
In the early 1970s, when he was a stage-struck teenager and Boston was still a significant tryout town for productions on their way to Broadway, Elice used to take the train from New York to catch shows at the Colonial. He remembers seeing Stephen Sondheim’s “Follies” there in 1971, and Sondheim’s “A Little Night Music” a couple of years later.
By 1980, Elice had become an actor, joining Robert Brustein’s brand-new American Repertory Theatre. He played Lysander in the ART’s inaugural production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” directed by Alvin Epstein, with a cast that included Cherry Jones and Tony Shalhoub.
After its ART run, Elice says, the “Dream” production moved to the Wilbur Theater, which gave him a chance to walk up to Boylston Street and take frequent peeks at the Colonial. He recalls a production of “Sugar Babies,” starring Carol Channing, at the Colonial at the time.
He left the ART in 1981 to embark on a career in advertising, serving as creative director at a New York ad agency until 1999, then spent a decade as a creative consultant at Walt Disney Studios. One of his poker buddies was Marshall Brickman, a renowned comedy writer (Brickman co-wrote “Annie Hall,” “Sleeper,” and “Manhattan” with Woody Allen). Eventually, Elice and Brickman teamed up to write “Jersey Boys.”
Next month, “Peter and the Starcatcher,” Elice’s adaptation of an adventure novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, will open in New York.
But today, Elice had Boston on his mind. He noted that “Jersey Boys” also enjoyed a solid run last year at the Shubert Theatre, saying “Boston has been very good to us.” He added: “Whatever show is in the Colonial is somehow better because it’s at the Colonial. The show seems like the icing on a very beautiful cake that’s there all the time.”
It’s been two decades since he was last inside the Colonial (for a production of the musical adaptation of “Grand Hotel.”). But he plans to rectify that soon. “I’m going to Boston before the end of the month to see my ‘Boys,’ ” said Elice.
The Addams Family Musical An Entertaining Afternoon of Theatre
Catherine (me) and Rick Elice
Last weekend was a whirlwind of friends, parties, and great Broadway entertainment! AND I was able to spend some time with my favorite Broadway writer, Rick Elice. Rick is that rare breed of celebrity who is unassuming, humble and completely genuine. He is such a pleasure to know – one would never guess he has two of the top 10 shows currently running on Broadway.
While Saturday was all about Jersey Boys, Sunday was reserved for The Addams Family. I had second row center seats for the matinee – up close and personal - and I was a little bit nervous. There have been mixed reviews, not only from the critics, but from a few of the readers here on the blog, and I didn’t want to go in with any preconceptions about the show. So, I went in with an open mind, and I had a blast!
From the opening number “When You’re An Addams”, to the final curtain, I had a smile on my face and a laugh in my throat. I don’t want to get into a scene by scene analysis – that’s been done to death. I just want to share my thoughts.
Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth were wonderful as Gomez and Morticia, two parents facing what all parents face when they realize that their baby is all grown up and about to leave the nest. Of course, not all parents face it in quite the same way! Bebe was gorgeous! Her flawless skin and deadpan expression were classic Morticia. She danced beautifully, and her “Just Around The Corner” was one of my favorite numbers. Nathan definitely lived up to the hype. His comedic timing is impeccable, and he had the audience in stitches.
Kevin Chamberlin was hilarious as the “moonstruck” Uncle Fester. He really got into his oddball personae, and the audience loved him.
Jackie Hoffman as Grandma was as hysterical as everyone says. Although her role was small, she made the most of each and every line, leaving the audience doubled over in laughter. At one point during “dinner”, she was obviously ad-libbing, talking about running the mara…mara…mara..thon (NY marathon was run that day), and the cast was laughing so hard, Bebe actually had to lay her head on the table so the audience wouldn’t see. Of course, being in the second row, I could see her head shaking!
As the tormented young couple, Wednesday Addams and Lucas Beineke, Krysta Rodriguez and Wesley Taylor were fantastic. They portrayed just the right amount of teenage angst, mixed with a craziness that comes with young love. Krysta’s voice was crystal clear, with a bit of a rock edge to it, and Wesley was a perfect accompaniment. Their “Crazier Than You” was another of my favorites. I’ll be keeping an eye on their careers, I’m betting they go far.
Carollee Carmello and Terrence Mann played Alice and Mal Beineke, Lucas’s “normal” parents from Ohio. If that’s normal, I’d hate to see odd. She with her bright yellow dress and rhyming speech, and he with his tough-guy “I won’t be pushed around” act (until I meet the right squid), were very entertaining, and they played the roles to perfection.
As Lurch, the mostly silent butler, Zachary James was brilliant. And Adam Riegler was terrific as Pugsley. He had a fantastic voice for such a young age, and was very enjoyable to watch. His sadness at realizing his sister was growing up and wouldn’t be around to “play” with him much longer was very touching.
And last, but certainly by no means least, the Ancestors were all superb. Each one had his/her own personality, they danced beautifully, and the way they were utilized onstage was ingenious.
On the top of my list of ”high points” has to be the set design. Congratulations to Julian Crouch and Phelim McDermott for a tremendous job! Basil Twist’s puppetry was also spectacular, adding a layer of creativity not seen in many shows. And, as usual, Rick Elice and Marshall Brickman wrote a great story, with a perfect mix of humor, seriousness, and Charles Addams absurdity.
“Just Around The Corner” and ”Crazier Than You” were my favorite musical numbers, with “When You’re An Addams” and the tango scene following close behind. Gomez had two ballady numbers that dragged a bit (for me), but Nathan performed them beautifully. And Uncle Fester and the moon, and Mal Beineke and the squid were a bit over the top, but hey, this is the Addams Family - they are over the top!
Please bear with me while I vent….I know this is a family friendly show, and yes, they sell candy at the concession stand, but people, this is a high dollar Broadway show, not a movie theater. Please have the courtesy to NOT open loud candy wrappers, slurp noisily on lollipops, or rifle through your shopping bags in the middle of the performance (yes, I experienced all of this within two rows of me, and the perpetrators were all adults.) This is not only rude to your fellow audience members, but most especially to the cast.
I would like to say a huge thank you to the entire Addams Family ‘family’ for an exciting and entertaining afternoon of theatre!
Congratulations to Rick Elice and Marshall Brickman
Some of you may not realize that the co-authors of The Addams Family musical, Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, also penned Jersey Boys, which just celebrated its 5th Anniversary on Broadway. I had the pleasure of attending the “Fan Party” hosted by Rick, and the Saturday evening performance. Oh what a day and night it was! Congratulations, Rick and Marshall, on your well-deserved honors over the event-filled weekend. And thank you for bringing such wonderful entertainment to Broadway!
Replacement Named for Nathan Lane in The Addams Family Musical
Well, it’s been discussed at length here on the Addams Family Blog….who will replace Nathan Lane when his contract expires in March? Readers weighed in, with suggestions all over the place - from Danny DeVito to Antonio Banderas. But the guessing game is over, for it has been announced that Tony winner Roger Rees will take over the role of Gomez Addams on March 22, 2011. And to add to this piece of good news, it has also been announced that Bebe Neuwirth will continue in her role as Morticia into the summer months. Congratulations to Mr. Rees, and to the entire cast of The Addams Family!
Mr. Rees, who is recognizable from many venues – he won a Tony Award for best actor in 1982 for the play “The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickelby”…he played the Sheriff of Rottingham in Mel Brooks’ 1993 film, “Robin Hood: Men in Tights”…he appeared in “The West Wing” from 2000-2005 as Lord John Marbury – is no stranger to The Addams Family family. He is currently working with Rick Elice, co-directing Elice’s Peter and the Starcatchers as part of the New York Theatre Workshop’s 2010-2011 season. And Mr. Rees is close friends with Bebe Neuwirth. The two are perhaps best known for their overlapping work on the NBC series “Cheers.” Mr. Rees was a frequent guest star on “Cheers” as Robin Colcord, a British playboy and love interest of bar manager Rebecca Howe, played by Kirstie Alley; Ms. Neuwirth played the chilly psychiatrist Lilith Crane on the show.
Nathan Lane fans, rest assured your favorite Gomez will continue in his role until March 6, giving you plenty of time to get yourself to the theatre! After Mr. Lane’s final show, understudies will play Gomez opposite Ms. Neuwirth until Mr. Rees joins the show on March 22.
Rick Elice To Be Celebrity Judge For “Scene It! New York” Competition
Congratulations to Rick Elice, who has scored a prestigious and exciting gig as a celebrity judge for the “Scene It! New York” musical competition. The performance contest, which will be held on September 23 at the Jerry Orbach Theater, is (according to its website):
a NEW competition featuring 8 of the best scenes from New Musicals written by aspiring composers; lyricists and librettists. The spirit of the competition is to foster the growth of new talent by providing an opportunity for industry insiders as well as the general public the chance to see and hear what the voices of tomorrow have to say. Each contestant will receive personalized constructive criticism from some of Broadway’s biggest insiders. The winner of Scene It! 2010 will receive a cash grant to assist in producing a full scale version of the selected musical.
What a fabulous opportunity for these contestants to receive critiques from not only Mr. Elice, who has two VERY successful shows running on Broadway at the moment (Jersey Boys, The Addams Family), but an entire panel filled with creative genius.
Another great example of Broadway talent giving back to their “community.”
For more information, visit the Scene It! website.
Lane Steals The Show At The Drama League Luncheon
Nathan Lane may feel as though he’s getting no respect for his portrayal of Gomez Addams in the new Broadway musical The Addams Family, but the two-time Tony winner certainly stole the show at the Drama League Luncheon Friday at the Marriott Marquis in New York City.
Tony-winning director Jerry Zaks presented Lane with the award for Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theater, and the star-studded dais, which included Hugh Jackman, Scarlett Johansson, Vanessa Williams and Michael Urie, and the rest of the room roared with laughter and cheers throughout his acceptance speech.
Here’s what he said:
Well, this is the best Drama League Luncheon I’ve ever been to. … I want to say how grateful I am that you chose me for this honor before the reviews for The Addams Family appeared. Otherwise, we’d be honoring Bernadette Peters this afternoon. But the good news is: People in America don’t like to read. … I’ve been an actor for 35 years and The Addams Family is my 17th show on Broadway. Lucky No. 17. …
This is the second elder statesman award I’ve received in a month, and I’m starting to feel like Betty White. As an elder statesman, I’d like to say: Try to be kind to one another and not take [this awards season] too seriously, unless, of course, you’re winning. Good luck at the Tonys, or as they call it at my house, Passover.
I don’t think there’s anything more difficult to create in the theater than a new musical. When it works, it can be glorious, which is why people keep trying, and why the list of great musicals is so short. It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t keep trying and why we should not be afraid to fail honorably. The irony of receiving this award this year is not lost on me. It’s no secret that The Addams Family was not well-received in certain circles, like the Earth.
Yet it has become a success with audiences. It’s a fascinating phenomenon, best summed up by the words of my dear, departed mother who used to say to me as a child: ”F*ck ‘em!” May all your shows be hits, may you get lots of rest and stay hydrated, and remember what is most important: to do the best you can. Thank you!
Congratulations, Mr. Lane, on this very “Distinguished” award.
“The Addams Family” Visits Borders at Columbus Circle
On Friday, May 14th, Borders Columbus Circle will present “The Addams Family: From Page to Stage”. At the event, Sarah Henry, curator of the Charles Addams Exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York, will lead a discussion with The Addams Family creative team members Andrew Lippa (Composery/Lyricist), Rick Elice and Marshall Brickman (Book Writers). Joining them will be Kevin Miserochhi, author of the new collection of Charles Addams drawings entitled “An Evilution”.
The event will begin at 5pm with a discussion of the show’s development, as well as a performance by Tony nominee Kevin Chamberlin, and members of The Addams Family cast.
Drama Desk 8, Tony 2
With the two measly Tony nominations for Addams Family, the eight Drama Desk nominations look just fine to the producers, I’m sure. I have them listed below.
It’s curious to me how two such well-established awards could have such drastically different outcomes. La Cage Aux Folles led the musicals in Tony noms (11) but actually had one fewer Drama Desk nom than Addams Family.
Anyone care to comment?
Drama Desk Nominations for The Addams Family
Outstanding Musical
Outstanding Actor in a Musical: Nathan Lane
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical: Kevin Chamberlin
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical: Carolee Carmello,
Outstanding Music: Andrew Lippa
Outstanding Lyrics: Andrew Lippa
Outstanding Lighting Design: Natasha Katz
Outstanding Set Design: Phelim McDermott, Julian Crouch & Basil Twist
Note: Drama Desk made an executive decision to include Basil Twist’s puppetry under Set Design.
Speculating on an Addams Family National Tour
Patrick Healy’s recent NY Times article (see “The Addams Family” A Critic-Proof Smash) got me thinking about an Addams Family national tour. If and when the show goes on the road, what might be the first stop? I haven’t found any substantiating evidence on the subject, but if I was to speculate, I would start with FIVE CENT PRODUCTIONS.
Five Cent Productions, which shares an Addams Family Producer credit, is a managing member of Elephant Eye Theatrical. Its members are nationally renowned performing arts centers that are proactively developing new theatrical material for their own theaters and stages worldwide. Here’s a quick look at each of the Five Cent members:
♦♦ Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts of Hartford, CT, whose President and CEO, David Fay, is Five Cent’s managing member.
“Connecticut’s Premier Performing Arts Center”
The Bushnell’s upcoming shows include Porgy and Bess, South Pacific and Steve Solomon’s My Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish & I’m STILL in Therapy. For more information, visit Bushnell’s website.
♦♦ The Citi Performing Arts Center of Boston, MA
“…one of the nation’s foremost nonprofit performing arts institutions”
Between their two theatres, the Wang Theatre and the Shubert Theatre, Citi’s upcoming shows are a mix of comedy (George Lopez and Conan) and music (Diana Ross and Celtic Thunder), with Jesus Christ Superstar and Dora the Explorer thrown in the mix. Click here to visit Citi’s website.
♦♦ The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts of St. Paul, MN
“crown jewel of Saint Paul”
The Ordway’s 2010-2011 season boasts such theatrical offerings as Evita, Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Stomp, Next to Normal, Guys and Dolls, and 9 to 5 the Musical. Click here for more information.
♦♦ The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts of Philadelphia, PA
“Premier performing arts groups reside in The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts and the Academy of Music, forming an exciting community of artists, and an oasis for art lovers”
The Kimmel Center has an impressive 2010-2011 Broadway series on tap, which includes Jersey Boys, Les Miserables, In The Heights, Mary Poppins, South Pacific and Next to Normal. Visit their website for more information.
♦♦ Pittsburgh CLO
“Exceptional Musical Theater for More Than Half a Century”
Current and upcoming productions (between now and September) include Nunsense, Oliver, Miss Saigon, Curtains, The Producers, and Hairspray. Check out their website for more information.
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♦♦ Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
“The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion and development of Pittsburgh’s downtown Cultural District.”
Click here for more information on the venues of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.
So, all of you in the areas of Hartford, Boston, St. Paul, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, keep your eyes and ears open. And let us hear from you!
The Addams Family Nominated for Drama League Awards
Kelsey Grammer and Bebe Neuwirth announced Drama League Award nominees, live at Sardi's
On April 20, 2010, Bebe Neuwirth (The Addams Family) and Kelsey Grammer (La Cage aux Folles) announced nominations for the 76th Annual Drama League Awards, to be presented at a ceremony and luncheon May 21 in the Grand Ballroom of the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Times Square.
Among this year’s nominees:
DISTINGUISHED PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL
The Addams Family
Book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice; Music and Lyrics by Andrew Lippa (Lunt-Fontanne Theatre)
DISTINGUISHED PERFORMANCE AWARD
Nathan Lane, The Addams Family
In addition to this year’s nominees, nine past recipients of the Distinguished Performance Award will be honored for their work this season. However, because an individual can only receive the Distinguished Performance Award once in his/her lifetime, they are ineligible for award consideration this year. Among those past honorees will be Bebe Neuwirth of The Addams Family.
The Drama League announced earlier this Spring that among it’s special recognitions, Nathan Lane will receive the Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theatre Award.
Great honors, indeed. Congratulations to The Addams Family!
Click here to view a list of all nominees.
Wanna Know How Nathan Lane Refers to Michael Riedel?
New York magazine chats with Bebe Neuwirth about her thoughts on The Addams Family experience; and reveals co-star Nathan Lane’s “pet” name for Post theatre columnist Michael Riedel:
Her Kooky Destiny
As Morticia Addams, Bebe Neuwirth is hoping for a perfect fit
I gave a lousy show last night,” Bebe Neuwirth says about fifteen minutes into a chat in her dressing room at Broadway’s Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. It seems she fell victim to the storied theater curse that is the “second show,” in which, as Neuwirth explains it, the relief of nailing a part in the first performance before a paying audience leads to a deceptively difficult following night. “It’s a trade secret,” she says. When I note that the cheering audience didn’t seem to notice, Neuwirth immediately regrets her candor: Leaning into the digital recorder at her knee, and with a pointed look in my direction, she says, “I don’t want anyone to tell them I had a bad show!”
Sorry, but what might in another context serve as a cheap gotcha provides a humanizing moment for Neuwirth, who, in her 25 years in show business, has excelled at the stylized and remote. As shrink Lilith Sternin on Cheers, she etched pop culture’s platonic ideal of an ice queen. Her 1996 Tony-winning turn in Chicago as Velma—little black minidress, big red lips, blinding white skin—was an equally iconic take on a brassy Broadway siren. Her current role, as Morticia, in the new, $16.5 million musical adaptation of The Addams Family (opening April 8), finds Neuwirth back in signature pallor and basic black. Although the production is based on Charles Addams’s macabre drawings for The New Yorker, the 51-year-old Neuwirth took the part because of a childhood infatuation. “Marshall Brickman called me up to say he’d written this musical, The Addams Family, and I just about screamed because I loved Carolyn Jones. Her Morticia [on the mid-sixties ABC sitcom] was really an archetypal character. As a child, I wanted to embody her qualities.” Wry, stoic, and smarter than her hot-blooded mate (John Astin’s Gomez), TV’s Morticia was a dark prefeminist outlier in a TV landscape known more for the va-va-voom vacuity of Ginger, Mary Ann, and Jeannie. “She wasn’t even part of that competition,” says Neuwirth. “She was doing her own thing. Who knows what that inner life of hers was, but she was hip. You know, I think Rhea Perlman’s character on Cheers once referred to me as Morticia.”
There is a certain Shelley Duvall–playing–Olive Oyl inevitability to Neuwirth’s latest role. “From the very top of the show, the audience sees Bebe and they go, ‘That’s Morticia,’ ” notes composer Andrew Lippa (The Wild Party). “It’s like that feeling you get watching Barry Bonds at the plate; this fantastic moment where it looks like it’s going to be great … and then it is great. And boy is that satisfying.”
This being Broadway, there’s the usual tabloid gossip of backstage bickering between Neuwirth and her Gomez, Nathan Lane. “I was told Cindy Adams reported that we had a frosty relationship,” says Lane. “And then [Post theater columnist] Michael Riedel—or as I like to call him, Rosemary’s Baby—picked up on that. The most shocking thing about that is that Cindy Adams is still alive. God bless her, still trying to stir it up, and I wish her well. But it couldn’t be further from the truth.” As Neuwirth puts it, “I think we both have a nice, healthy dose of diva. But we also do really go together. You’ve got the little clown running around, and you have a very still, dry person. That’s a fun pairing.”
Neuwirth’s last extended appearance on Broadway was a second go-round with Chicago in 2006, that time as Roxie. Since then, she’s mostly been offered TV roles. But she finds regular series work, like her two short-lived Dick Wolf dramas Deadline (2000) and Law & Order: Trial by Jury (2005), too ponderous. “It’s the waiting around and the long hours on set,” says Neuwirth. “I’m a dancer first, and a very physical person. Even Cheers was difficult for me, and that’s one of the best shows ever.” On the other hand, scripts were not “piling up outside my door … and being middle-aged makes it exponentially harder to find a role. I don’t fit into the wives, mothers, and housewives stereotype.”
Unless it’s the sort of wife and mother who wears black gowns slit to here and dominatrix boots up to there. (The boots were Neuwirth’s contribution to Morticia’s costume, revealed to thunderous audience approval.) It’s been nearly two years since the actress did her first Addams Family table read. After a commercially boffo but critically so-so holiday-season tryout on the road, the production has been, depending on whom you ask or read, tweaked, reshaped, or overhauled. And that’s especially true of Morticia. The show’s plot has a smitten Wednesday (Krysta Rodriguez) rejecting her parents’ eccentricity in the hope of marrying a milquetoast small-town boy, spurring a conflict that leaves Morticia feeling old and irrelevant. In the harshest of the out-of-town reviews, the Chicago Tribune critic Chris Jones noted that Neuwirth “looks like she’s not having much fun.” Neuwirth was stung by the comment but doesn’t necessarily disagree: “In that production, Morticia was deeply, deeply unhappy from the middle of the first act through the end of the show.”
“That’s not a fun thing to play,” says Lane, “and it kind of undermined the character.” The creative team, he adds, “had to find a wittier way of dealing with it and not make it her main story line.” That, presumably, is part of the job of multi-Tony-winning director Jerry Zaks, who was brought in at the end of last year to consult with the show’s designer-director team, Julian Crouch and Phelim McDermott (Shockheaded Peter). Songs have been cut, others are still coming; Neuwirth is getting an upbeat number that will help tip Morticia away from concerned mom and back toward vamp. “My forte is restrained sarcasm and a certain kind of bearing, which is what Morticia has also, so it’s a good match. But the character wasn’t served as well as she could have been—the part stressed panic,” says Neuwirth, pointing out that Morticia doesn’t do panic. “The show’s getting better all the time, but I don’t think it’s quite right yet. I’m awaiting more wisecracks.”
New And Improved Addams Family Musical Hits Broadway Running
photo by Matt Hoyle
