Hilarious "Addams Family" High Energy Entertainment

As soon as the overture begins, you can feel the audience getting ready to welcome their old TV friends, "The Addams Family." And when Rob McClure comes out as Gomez Addams and leads a smashing opening number called "When You're An Addams" the show gets the hook in fast.

Joining McClure is the talented Jenny Powers as the sultry Morticia Addams. She and McClure are a smooth and well-edged pair for their roles. McClure's Spanish dialect is so rich and comedic he makes almost every line hilarious. He is a remarkable talent and his "ad libs" to the audience are perfectly timed.

The storyline is about the Addams family's daughter Wednesday, played by Sara Kapner, wanting to marry a "normal" boy and what happens when the lad's parents come over the Addams family manse for dinner and a curious game of "Full Disclosure." The Addams' son, Pugsley, is played wonderfully by Michael Harp

As seems to be a hallmark of The Muny these days, casting is almost perfection. Tiny Jennifer Cody as Grandma nearly stops the show. Steve Rosen as Uncle Fester has a touch of vaudevillian spirit in his portrayal that is most enjoyable. It's a tall order to play Lurch, but William Ryall as Lurch is a hoot. (And Lurch sings!)

I wish the Second Act of "The Addams Family" was as funny as the first. I've always thought that segment of the show could use a little more spirit. (The "live" kind.) But overall, "The Addams Family" at The Muny is a howl. It's clever, funny and has a cast that is dead serious about getting laughs. Production quality is imaginative. I haven't laughed this much at a Muny show ever, with the possible exception of when Howard Keel tried to play Henry Higgins,

So what are you waiting for? Here's your cue.....dah dah dah dah!