The Addams Family is 79 years old and the musical is here in Singapore for some nostalgic fun

The Addams Family has a profound influence on American comics, cinema and television and many people would have known of them, even if you may not have watched any of the TV shows, movies or seen the original comic.

The reach of the Addams Family is far and wide and and they have been widely credited as an inspiration for the goth subculture and its fashion. Think people who like to dress in black and white, obsessing themselves with morbid themes.

According to The Telegraph, the Addamses “are one of the most iconic families in American history, up there with the Kennedys”. Similarly, Time has compared the relevance and the cultural reach of the family with those of the Kennedys and Roosevelts.

Do you know that The Addams Family first made their appearance in a cartoon in the The New Yorker magazine in 1938? That’s a good 79 years ago!

The Addams Family went on to appear on television and several movies over the next seven decades. In 2007, a musical was created and this year, The Addams Family Musical is now showing in Singapore, following a successful run in the UK.

Trailer:

Go catch it for some nostalgic fun!

The Addams Family is bringing their entire clan, whether living, dead or undecided, to the MES Theatre at Mediacorp. Direct from UK, this production showcases a brand new orchestration and presentation, written by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, the creators of multi award-winning Jersey Boys, and with music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa.

Synopsis:

The musical comedy features an original story, and every father’s nightmare. Wednesday Addams, the princess of darkness, has grown up and kept a shocking secret that only Gomez knows; she’s fallen in love with a sweet smart young man from a normal respectable family! And if that weren’t upsetting enough, Wednesday confides in her father and begs him not to tell her mother. Now, Gomez Addams must do something he’s never done before – keeping this 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. Two different worlds are about to collide. Will love triumph, or will everyone go home vaguely depressed?

Playing the iconic role of Gomez Addams is actor, Cameron Blakely, who was recently seen in Singapore’s season of Les Misérables as Monsieur Thenardier and also a string of theatrical and film credits to his name. Playing the role of Gomez’s beloved wife, Morticia Addams is Rebecca Thornhill, who joins this show direct from the West End production of Mathilda The Musical, playing Mrs Wormwood to great acclaim. Gomez’s beloved daughter, Wednesday Addams is played by social influencer, Carrie Hope Fletcher, who played Éponine in Les Misérables.

A year ago yesterday, I did the photo shoot for The Addams Family posters. We were months before we started rehearsals (it was actually so far from Addams rehearsals that the hours before this late night photo shoot, I’d been in rehearsals for Les Mis Dubai!) and the costume and the wig put together for this shoot aren’t anything like what I have for the show…but getting to dress up like Wednesday for the first time was more exciting than I can possibly explain. The thought of getting to do it every day was unbelievable! Now, exactly a year later, we only have one week left of shows in the UK. Where has all that time gone?! Enjoy things while they last, kids. The best things in life are often over within the blink of an eye. ?

A post shared by Carrie Hope Fletcher (@carriehopefletcher) on Oct 29, 2017 at 1:38am PDT

Review

I caught the gala premiere last Friday with my son, Asher, and both of us had a good time. Asher is new to the Addams Family and took time to get used to the dark humour. He could not understand why all of the Addamses are so morbid and strange, but found them funny and fascinating.

I just caught the gala premiere of The Addams Family Musical at the MES Theatre at Mediacorp and it’s a whole lot of nostalgic fun!The musical comedy features an original story, and every father’s nightmare. Wednesday Addams, the princess of darkness, has grown up and kept a shocking secret that only Gomez knows; she’s fallen in love with a sweet smart young man from a normal respectable family. Now showing till 3 Dec. Grab your tickets! @theaddamsfamilyofficial #theaddamsfamily #theadamsfamilysg #theaddamsfamilymusical

A post shared by Alvinology.com (@alvinology) on Nov 17, 2017 at 7:32am PST

For me, it was interesting to see a grown-up version of Wednesday, the ultimate role model for emo kids, now falling in love and moving on to her next stage in life.

The storyline is pretty straightforward, carried along by the strong characters and the weird antics of the Addams. In today’s context, the Addams are probably not as shocking as they were 79 years old, considering we live with the likes of the Kardashian and Jenner families. In fact, that’s what make them all the more endearing because the wholesome family values are still there and you can enjoy the musical with your little ones, while introducing them to something a little more offbeat and unusual.

If you are interested to catch the show, do book your tickets soon as it will only be running for a few more weeks.

Win S$17,000 worth of prizes with The Addams Family!

In a special tie-up with Simmons mattresses, you can join in The Addams Family Sleeping Pose Campaign where you can win up to S$17,000 in prizes (including Simmons mattresses and a staycation). Watch the video for more details on how to participate and win. Here are the venues where you can “sleep” with the Addams Family:

• Fusionopolis Tower 2 ( 6-20 Nov)
• Biopolis (21-30 Nov)

The Addams Family Musical is presented by VizPro and will be showing till 3 Dec 2017.

Event Date:
Wed, 15 Nov – Sun, 3 Dec 2017
Tue – Fri: 8pm
Sat & Sun: 2.30pm & 8pm

Tickets are available online via SISTIC.