Cardinal Music Productions Shows Teamwork With The Addams Family Musical

A successful musical theater production is highly dependent on the quality and teamwork of the troupe putting on the show. If the band doesn’t come together, the show might feel slow and sour, but if they do connect, there’s a magic that can’t be beat.

While The Addams Family isn’t the first pandemic comeback show that’s been brought to life by Cardinal Music Productions, it does have a certain character that makes it feel like years of pent-up energy have piled into a small space. It’s the kind of energy that comes from where passion and desire reside – and it’s the kind of energy that makes musical theater brilliant. When like-minded cast and crew are on the same page together, it’s the kind of team that makes musicals harmonious memories. Right now, right now, Cardinal Music Productions exists in this very space.

The Addams Family Musical itself isn’t the best musical ever written, but its familiarity and country character make it a fun time. Drawing heavily on the nuances and comedic elements of the popular 1964 black-and-white television show and all of its sequels, films and spin-offs, the original musical tale brings to life the characters we’ve come to know from their first appearance as than serial comics. single-panel cartoons in The New Yorker since 1938.

Director and actor Joseph Cardinal and his carefully crafted crew seem to somehow shine as the Addams Family on the Korda stage. There’s a camaraderie that makes it all believable and enjoyable that the Broadway version of the show never seemed to have.

Cardinal himself takes the lead in the ruse as Gomez, with Lindsay Norris alongside him as the dark and mysterious Morticia, the head of the family (Uncle Fester played by Drew Beaudoin, Grandma played by Nin Fasullo, Wednesday played by Charlotte Salisbury, Pugsley played by Peyton DelPapa and Butler Lurch played by James Neely) and their decades of ghostly ancestors through a seemingly “normal” adventure.

Apparently, Wednesday wants to marry a normal boy and trouble within the family breaks out. Beneath the comedic twists and over-the-top expressions the Addams Family is known for, the musical seems very mainstream. Families have problems and conflicts and it seems the Addams Family is no different. What’s different, however, is the manner and comedy with which the Addams Family deals with these issues. A good tango here and the rustling of a sword there and it all makes sense. And that’s at the heart of what makes the Addams Family a story that can span over 80 years.

The Cardinal team brings everything for this performance. Cardinal has his big voice and charm on display, Norris is delightfully kissable as Morticia, Fasullo makes an incredibly funny grandma, Salisbury carries the show with a far more entertaining Wednesday than the TV version, DelPapa, though feminine, somehow connected to her boyish interior as mischievous Pugsley and Neely growled and moaned as you’d expect from the ever-popular Lurch.

The biggest surprise was with Beaudoin, whose Uncle Fester steals the show and looks nothing like his golden-haired self. The voice, the looks, and the whole character feel like they’re straight out of the TV show. It could be the breakout role that positions him as one of the most desirable lead actors in town. Amazingly, the character appears and leads in many songs on the show, but Fester’s Manifesto and But Love captures the essence of what Beaudoin brings to the role.

The Addams Family Musical isn’t laden with catchy, memorable songs, but there are a few standouts that stick in your head for days afterward, including the ensemble performance of When You’re An Addams, and the wildly fun Full Disclosure, which came with a killer performance from Laura Bondy who revealed a little too much about her character Alice in a fun scene that ended with her lying flat on a supper table.

The Addams Family could have been a very unforgettable show as it’s not one of the legacy musicals we enjoy watching, but the Cardinal team came together to create the most fun and fulfilling show I’ve ever enjoyed. never saw the troupe perform.

The Addams Family continues with further performances at the Kordazone Theater in Windsor July 15-17 and July 22-24. Tickets are available at the Cardinal Music Box Office at 2569-B Jefferson Ave. in Windsor or by calling 519-944-5800. www.cardinalmusic.com