In Defense of "The Addams Family"

It seems like the fashionable thing in New York right now is to bash the new "Addams Family" musical that just opened at the Lunt-Fontanne Theater. In fact, "the most powerful reviewer on the planet", Ben Brantley, might have written the most scathing critique ever for a show not named "Glory Days". If you only read the reviews, you would think people would be screaming for the exits like a Max Bialystock show in "The Producers"

However, when I attended the final preview last Wednesday night, a funny thing was happening around me in the mezzanine. It was the sound of laughter. I dare say the audience was actually enjoying what Brantley called a "ghastly musical". I attended the show with my girlfriend (a die-hard theater snob) and a friend from Sacramento (a prominent local theater director in that city). As we left the theater that evening, the two of them graded the show anywhere from an A- to a B+.

Is this to say that "Addams Family" is a great show? No. Did I personally think the show was a B+? No. Will the show win a Tony for best musical?? Not a chance.

The critics aren't incorrect in addressing the problems with this production. The story is unfocused, with a storyline that's already been done better in shows like "La Cage". The score by Andrew Lippa is uneven. The entire second act feels like an episode of "Oprah's Favorite Things", designed less to advance the plot, and more to pacify the egos of the top tier Broadway actors (YOU get a song... and YOU get a song...and YOU get a song).

"Addams Family" is by no means a perfect show--- but it is still a fun night, with many laugh out loud moments. In many respects, it is the inverse of last season's atrocious revival of "Guys and Dolls", where the producers wasted money stunt casting actors who were completely wrong for the show. Lauren Graham played Adelaide like she was Corky Thatcher in "Life Goes On". The actors were so bad, that they dragged down what is essentially the quintessential Broadway musical. However, in the case of"Addams", it's fun to see what happens when great actors elevate bad material. The majority of the evening's laughs are provided by Nathan Lane, who earns every bit of his reported $30,000 a week paycheck finding jokes that other actors couldn't. Kevin Chamberlain provides an act 2 highlight with his song "The Moon and Me". The always reliable Jackie Hoffman makes Grandma Addams a 60's Woodstock stoner. Critics might say that Chamberlain's song is gimmicky and Hoffman is over the top, but they got huge laughs all night. Isn't that what matters? Carolee Carmello's act 1 song, "Waiting" is a great moment that gives some color to an otherwise one dimensional character. I imagine that this is why, as a producer, you spend the extra money to hire A-list, proven talent. They just might be good enough to save your show.

On a different note, I think "The Addams Family" will also be a powerful study in how much clout reviewers still have in this day and age. Do theatergoers really care what Brantley thinks about a show? Or will they pay the money to make their own judgement? Theater snobs who read reviews may very well never go see "Addams". Then again, perhaps a musical based on an old cartoon isn't something that's in their wheelhouse to begin with. That's why those patrons have "Next to Normal" to masturbate to.

Remember, very few movie critics will say nice things about an Adam Sandler project. Yet, Sandler has a remarkably steady track record of films that make big money at the box office. His work may seem a little "lowest common denominator", but it appeals to families and middle America. Based on the standing ovation I saw last Wednesday night, I'm willing to guess that the tourists and families like the show. If there are enough to shell out $125 a pop, maybe this show won't die a slow and painful death...even if that's how the "Addams Family" would prefer to go.