The Addams Family

Andrew Lippa, Marshall Brickman, Rick Elice, based on characters created by Charles Addams

Aria Entertainment, John Stalker Productions

Blackpool Opera House

August 26-30, 2025; 2 hrs 10 mins

The cast of The Addams Family. All pics: Pamela Raith

There have been many incarnations of The Addams Family. They first appeared in a 1930s New Yorker cartoon strip as an antidote to the stereotypical American family unit, and have since been portrayed in a 1960s TV show, films of varying quality and the new Netflix series. But none of these is as raucous, lively and downright fun as this musical.

With music and lyrics by Leeds-born Andrew Lippa - who won a Tony award when it opened on Broadway in 2010 - this is an unashamedly silly story woven around a succession of big songs – more than 20 of them - in a show that is just a smidge over two hours.

Whichever version of the ghoulish family you’re familiar with, you’ll recognise the characters: parents Morticia and Gomez, children Wednesday and Pugsley, Grandma, Fester and the butler, Lurch.

In this story, such as it is, Wednesday has fallen for a boy but – horror of horrors – he is normal. He and his parents visit and everyone has something to learn. What is normal, anyway?

It’s a show full of energy and laughs, which hide a rather thin plot; but it is mostly full of songs, which are performed with real, full-blooded gusto. Alistair David’s choreography is impressively slick too.

The extended cast of the "dead and undecided" members of the family help move the action along, but the stand-out performances here are from the heart of the family.

Lauren Jones is strong as the conflicted Wednesday, while Alexandra Burke is a sleek and classy Morticia with a velvety smooth voice, while Ricardo Afonso is well cast as the passionately loyal, and loyally passionate, Gomez.

Clive Rowe is a crowd favourite as the fourth-wall-breaking Fester, while Lesley Joseph adds some laughs despite an accent that wanders about more than the undead at Hallowe'en.

Diego Pitarch’s fun and adaptable gothic set is pleasingly cartoonish, with grand, moveable staircases and torture equipment adding another dimension to the show. He is quoted in the programme saying he wanted to create a set that acted as an extra cast member. Mission accomplished.

Though there was a huge range of ages among the audience at Blackpool's packed Opera House on opening night, it was notable that there was a large contingent of teenagers, particularly girls, many of them clearly fans of the hugely-popular Wednesday (both actress Jenna Ortega and the Tim Burton Netflix series in which she stars).

With something so well known to many different groups, it might have been easy to get this visit to the Addams family residence wrong. But it's just creepy, kooky, mysterious and spooky enough - and the rapturous reception proves there is clearly plenty of life in the Addams Family yet.

More info and tickets here