The Addams family, with their love of the macabre, their fascination with death and dying and their extreme shirking of societal norms, should be–by all means–a family you’d seek to avoid. Yet, this fiercely devoted, unerringly loyal and surprisingly wholesome family continues to delight audiences with their irreverent humor, as is displayed in Cain Park’s latest production of “The Addams Family Musical.”
The musical comedy with music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa and book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice opened on Broadway in 2010. It is based on the Addams Family characters created by Charles Addams, who have been, and continue to be, further popularized by numerous television and film adaptations.
This telling of the mysterious and spooky family’s story revolves around a very important dinner. Eldest daughter Wednesday has fallen in love with Lucas Beineke, a gentle boy who is in every way a sharp contradiction to the Addams family. Eager to earn her family’s blessing, Wednesday invites Lucas and his parents over for the evening. She begs her family to act normal so that they don’t scare away the Beinekes and her chance at true love. While the Addamses do their best to oblige, their large personalities are not easily dimmed, and chaos is quick to ensue.
Director Colin Anderson filled his cast with talent that adeptly brings to life the kooky personalities of the Addamses. Most successful as a whole are their acting chops and comedic timing; they truly understand how to make the campy comedy land.
Chris Richards as patriarch Gomez Addams is brilliant. When his daughter enlists his help in ensuring that the melding of the two families is a success, Gomez is forced to choose between keeping the confidence of his daughter or telling his wife the truth. Considering that his wife, Morticia, values truth above all else, this leaves Gomez feeling trapped in an impossible situation. Richards expresses Gomez’s distress with a manic, boisterous energy that is exceptionally entertaining. In quieter moments, Richards ensures that Gomez’s paternal love toward his daughter and his devotion to his wife are keenly felt.
Moments between Gomez and Morticia are the uncontested highlights of the show, and credit for this is equally due to Mariah Burks. Burks’s Morticia is graceful and commanding, elegant and aloof. Her execution of Morticia’s dry humor and irreverent view of death are especially charming. As a pair, Burks and Richards work incredibly well together, crafting an altogether believable image of the couple who are irrevocably obsessed with one another.
Their children, Wednesday and Pugsley, are portrayed by Maddie Jones and Samuel Bartlett, respectively. These dour-faced siblings revel in torturing and being tortured by one another. Thus, when Wednesday is overcome by love, Pugsley is threatened by the idea of losing his sister and tries to take matters into his own scheming hands. Bartlett, who has a fantastic voice that you’ll wish you were able to hear more from, is wonderfully animated throughout his performance. As Wednesday, Jones embodies the character’s recognizable traits, including her violence and frankness.
However, Wednesday tampers down her abrasive personality in lieu of her love for Lucas. Played here by a submissive, joyful and emotive David Lenahan, Lucas’s character gives credence to the notion that opposites attract. Lucas’s father, Mal, is a no-nonsense, stiff businessman brought to life by Peter Seidl, while his mother, Alice, is a reserved and stymied housewife embodied by Katie Rotuno. The Beinekes are at odds with the Addamses, whose family also includes the enigmas that are Uncle Fester, a shrill David Turner; Grandma, a wild-eyed Rosalyn Blystone; and Lurch, an imposing Lysander Mills.
There are a couple of standout vocalists in the cast, led by music director Felix Grittner, and the choreography by Jailyn Sherell Harris is certainly entertaining. These elements would be more successful had the quality of the music and sound been amplified. The lack of an orchestra rendered the music to sound flat and canned at moments, leaving the peppier songs like the pivotal “Crazier Than You” lacking the punch they deserved, and during dance breaks, the volume of the music was distractingly low. Because this occurred opening night, there is still time for sound designers to balance everything to equilibrium. The same can be hoped for the operators of Carmella Somich’s lighting design: while it matched the Addams Family’s aesthetic, issues with the follow spot operation and missed cues can be refined.
Scenic designer Larry Heyman’s two-tiered set design is speckled with oddities and bits and bobs that help provide the Addams family’s manor with creepy flavoring. Within the design, Heyman included interesting, life-sized display cases for members of the ensemble to occupy and pose within. The ensemble consists of players depicting the Addams family’s ancestors who have been recruited by Uncle Fester to aid in Wednesday’s pursuit of love. They are dressed in gorgeous costuming and makeup that spans all manner of eras by Inda Blatch-Geib.
The Addams Family was first introduced to the public in 1938, and they’re still as compelling as ever. With its charmingly creepy aesthetics and exquisite comedic timing–not to mention an impeccable Gomez and Morticia–the Cain Park production of “The Addams Family Musical” proves why the family continues to haunt us (in the best way).
“The Addams Family Musical” runs through Sept. 20, 2026, at the Cain Park Alma Theater, 14591 Superior Road, Cleveland Heights, OH 44118. Visit cainpark.com or call 216-371-3000 for tickets, $15.88 to $31.75.
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