Broadway Features and Reviews
Addams Family Broadway Vs. Broadway's Spider-Man
By Christopher Moore, Broadway Magazine
The New Yorker comic stylings of cartoonist Charles Addams are rich with wit and wicked humor. While both The Addams Family television series of the the 1960s and the later films based on Addams' characters capture some of the spirit of the original artist, there is reason to expect that the new Addams Family Broadway musical will go even closer to the spirit of Addams macabrely comic works.
In a recent interview with Broadway.tv, Bebe Neuwirth emphasized that the musical is taking direct inspiration from Addams' New Yorker cartoons. This will create an interesting dynamic duel on Broadway this spring pitting the reported $40 million musical main-stream muscle of Spider-Man against the off-beat and endearing work of Charles Addams... there will be spiders and webs in both shows, no doubt, but who will come out on top? Likely both shows will win.
Starring Nathan Lane and Ms. Neuwirth as Gomez and Morticia, THE ADDAMS FAMILY features two-time Tony Award nominee Terrence Mann as Mal Beineke, two-time Tony Award nominee Carolee Carmello as Alice Beineke, two-time Tony Award nominee Kevin Chamberlin as Uncle Fester, Jackie Hoffman as Grandmama, Zachary James as Lurch, Adam Riegler as Pugsley, Wesley Taylor as Lucas Beineke and Krysta Rodriguez as Wednesday. That is like the Broadway musical equivalent of the 1927 Yankees.
If that weren't enough, The Addams Family features a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice (librettists of the 2006 Tony Award-winning Best Musical, Jersey Boys), music and lyrics by Drama Desk Award-winner Andrew Lippa (The Wild Party), direction and design by Phelim McDermott and Julian Crouch (Shockheaded Peter, The Metropolitan Opera's Satyagraha) and choreography by Sergio Trujillo (Next to Normal, Jersey Boys). A potent brew to be sure.
The Addams Family will open April 8 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, with previews starting on March 4, 2010. Of course, those that can't wait for Broadway can catch tickets for the pre-Broadway run in Chicago which opens on November 13.
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