The Addams Family UK Tour Review (Curve Theatre, Leicester)

31 July 2025 I 19:15 I Curve Theatre, Leicester

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Snap twice if you adore the spooky brilliance of The Addams Family!! Embarking on a return UK Tour, Matthew White directs a macabre comedy musical that follows these beloved misfits on a new adventure, as Wednesday brings love interest Lucas Beineke to meet the parents! The moment disembodied hang Thing opens the show (albeit using our imaginations!), a faithful conjuring of these pop-culture icons results in a darkly rewarding family musical.

Primarily famous from the 1991 movie adaptation, Alistair David's movement direction is heavily polished to bring these caricatures to life. Alexandra Burke demonstrates immense precision as Morticia Addams, gliding across the stage with sustained vocal tone and highly disciplined posture. Alongside Ricardo Afonso's endearing and suave Gomez, their infamous Argentine Tango is a culmination of their passion. Possessing a trance-like quality and characterised by biting musicality, the audience clearly hold this moment to great acclaim!!

Due to the story's eccentricity, the musical styles of The Addams Family are broad, comprised of many unique instruments to capture the uncanny atmosphere of their universe. Led by Andrew Hilton's enthusiastic musical direction, his inclusion with the notorious finger snaps is an engaging addition.

A inspiring ensemble entrance commences one of the most incredible full-cast appreciations I have ever witnessed. Opposed to being delegated to background performances, the ensemble enter individually through a hazy crypt embodying undead personas, from ballerinas to circus ringleaders. Across the production, they haunt the stage as invisible figures that truly give life to their creepiness. With Sario Solomon navigating an insatiable watchability, you find yourself in awe of the ensemble's immense spirit, a highlight being Act 1's Full Disclosure.

Lauren Jones' Wednesday magnifies a rising star with meteoric talent!! Through a vocally breathtaking rendering of Pulled, Jones performs Wednesday's quirks and emotional confusions with a compelling nature, showcasing the many layers of her character beyond her morbid disposition. And although brief, Jacob Fowler shares a brilliant onstage chemistry with Jones as Lucas Beineke, employing a charming likeability through their Crazier Than You duet.

The Addams Family Mansion becomes haunted in its own right under Diego Pitarch's imposing scenic design, equipped with swirling staircases and ghostly picture frames. Even with Nicholas McLean's devilishly boyish Pugsley being stretched with torture machines, Pitarch's aesthetic identity carries forth the Addams' legacy, a story that hinges on its gothic visuals.

With an ingeniously casted revival, despite its typically dark monotony, The Addams Family perfectly adapts into a stage musical, with Marshall Brickman & Rick Elice's amusing book and Andrew Lippa's relentless earworms. Considering I hadn't previously seen the Addams in another medium, fans of the cult family will adore Fester's (Clive Rowe) giggly bumbles across the stage, or be highly anticipating Lurch's (Dickon Gough) Act Two surprise for a abnormally fabulous evening!!