Local Review: The UTEP Dinner Theatre's Production of "The Addams Family"
The UTEP Dinner Theatre opened their 35th anniversary season with the musical version of the incredibly popular property that is The Addams Family, which was originally created by Charles Addams. The musical version of the show was composed by Andrew Lippa (The Wild Party) and the book was written by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. The musical version of The Addams Family is about how daughter, Wednesday, becomes engaged to a "normal" boy, named Lucas, so the family invites Lucas and his family over for dinner. However, Wednesday has only told her father, Gomez, about the engagement, so they must spend the evening trying to act "normal" and keeping the secret of the engagement from the Addams family mother, Morticia. I had never seen the musical version of The Addams Family up until this performance and although the UDT did their best with the material, I think that it is not a good musical. I'd feel that way about any production of this show, so I don't put any blame on this production for the show's shortcomings. In fact, I thought that all of the production values, including the direction and design, were rather good.
I thought that Gregory L. Taylor's blocking for the show was well paced and thought out, with all of the principal roles checking to be cast very well. Each of the portrayals stayed close enough to the spirit of the original characters, but everyone was able to make their role their own in some form. Although this was a really good production on all accounts, with impressive sets (by Mike Spence) and costumes (by Jaime Barba), I found that the show's written material was rather dragged out and slow, with a bland score by Andrew Lippa and a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice that is uninteresting.
Despite how I feel about the written material of The Addams Family, that is not to take away from the good work that the cast and crew put on. I think that the show was cast very well and everybody in the cast gave nice performances, with the incredibly talented performers, Danny Lopez (Gomez) and Josey Mitchell (Mortica), at the head. The show's stand outs were Ivan Cano (Uncle Fester), Selena Stair (Grandma Addams), Casi Saldaña (Mal, Lucas' Father), Arazelia (Sally) Perez-Peck (Alice, Lucas's mother), and Hugo Arreola (Lucas).
At the end of the day, I'd call the UTEP Dinner Theatre's production of The Addams Family a good production of a really boring show. Everyone who is a part of the cast, crew, and creative team of this production did well with what the show gave them to work with, but Marshall Brickman, Rick Elice, and Andrew Lippa created a musical that is simply stale. I wasn't a fan of the show, but that is to do with the material and not the work of this company. I do, however, look forward to the rest of the UTEP Dinner Theatre's season, as they are performing three of my favorite shows- A Chorus Line, Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific, which is a show that I am hopelessly in love with.
THE ADDAMS FAMILY
Book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice
Music and Lyrics by Andrew Lippa
The UTEP Dinner Theatre Production of THE ADDAMS FAMILY was directed by Gregory L. Taylor and ran from October 13-November 12 2017. The principal cast consisted of:
Gomez Addams- DANNY LOPEZ
Morticia Addams- JOSEY MITCHELL
Uncle Fester- IVAN CANO
I thought that Gregory L. Taylor's blocking for the show was well paced and thought out, with all of the principal roles checking to be cast very well. Each of the portrayals stayed close enough to the spirit of the original characters, but everyone was able to make their role their own in some form. Although this was a really good production on all accounts, with impressive sets (by Mike Spence) and costumes (by Jaime Barba), I found that the show's written material was rather dragged out and slow, with a bland score by Andrew Lippa and a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice that is uninteresting.
Despite how I feel about the written material of The Addams Family, that is not to take away from the good work that the cast and crew put on. I think that the show was cast very well and everybody in the cast gave nice performances, with the incredibly talented performers, Danny Lopez (Gomez) and Josey Mitchell (Mortica), at the head. The show's stand outs were Ivan Cano (Uncle Fester), Selena Stair (Grandma Addams), Casi Saldaña (Mal, Lucas' Father), Arazelia (Sally) Perez-Peck (Alice, Lucas's mother), and Hugo Arreola (Lucas).
At the end of the day, I'd call the UTEP Dinner Theatre's production of The Addams Family a good production of a really boring show. Everyone who is a part of the cast, crew, and creative team of this production did well with what the show gave them to work with, but Marshall Brickman, Rick Elice, and Andrew Lippa created a musical that is simply stale. I wasn't a fan of the show, but that is to do with the material and not the work of this company. I do, however, look forward to the rest of the UTEP Dinner Theatre's season, as they are performing three of my favorite shows- A Chorus Line, Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific, which is a show that I am hopelessly in love with.
THE ADDAMS FAMILY
Book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice
Music and Lyrics by Andrew Lippa
The UTEP Dinner Theatre Production of THE ADDAMS FAMILY was directed by Gregory L. Taylor and ran from October 13-November 12 2017. The principal cast consisted of:
Gomez Addams- DANNY LOPEZ
Morticia Addams- JOSEY MITCHELL
Uncle Fester- IVAN CANO
Grandma- SELENA STAIR
Wednesday Addams- LAUREN PENA
Pugsley Addams- ALVARO CALLEJAS VAZQUEZ
Lurch- CHRIS MITCHELL
Mal Beineke- CASI SALDANA
Alice Beineke- ARAZELIA (SALLY) PEREZ-PECK
Lucas Beineke- HUGO ARREOLA
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