"The Addams Family - School Edition"

The Long Eaton School Performing Arts Department.

Wednesday Addams has fallen in love with a young man called Lucas Beineke and wants to run off and marry him. She has told her father, Gomez, that Lucas and his parents, Mal and Alice, are coming round for a meal so that they can meet, and accept the rest of her family. The only thing is, can Gomez keep this secret from Morticia until after the meal? And will the secret be let out of the bag after their family game, Full Disclosure, has been played by all? Will brother Pugsley's plan to disrupt the game come to fruition, as he has reason for his sister Wednesday and Lucas not to be an item?

Gomez was played by Daniel Price, and even though I thought I recognised his face, I couldn't remember if, and when I had seen him previously. This young man is a star in the making.

First off, he looks like the 1960's version of Gomez. His Spanish accent was wonderful and did not waver all the way through the show. His voice is a voice for musical theatre, and his characterisation of this character made you think that Daniel is a lot older than he is. His comedy is both expressive and physical.

Daniel's performance far exceeded anything I'd expected from such a young actor for this character. I may not have seen him before, but I can't wait to see what he does next. Gomez even drew the raffle in the interval.

Morticia was played by Jess Peel, a young actor who I have seen before, and I am so pleased that she has moved from the ensemble pieces I've previously seen her in before to a major role as Morticia. Jess completely owned this part, remaining aloof and always in charge as the Matriarch of the Addams family.

Not only did I get to see Jess really act, I also got to hear her sing as well, something you don't always get to appreciate in an ensemble role. The hair and make up almost disguised Jess, but what a transformation they made to her. Both Jess and Daniel absolutely smashed their roles and completely fitted the kooky couple.

Wednesday Addams was played by Jasmine Hutchings. Jasmine I have also seen before in The Young Performers, but again it's a role like this that really showed what a fantastic voice this young person has. I loved her version of "Pulled", and it would give Carrie Hope Fletcher a run for her money with this song.

Pugsley was played by Alanna Wood, and I am quietly confident that I've not seen Alanna before, but what a cracking little actor she is. When on the rack being "pulled" by Wednesday, her ecstatic begging for more pain made me grin. She portrayed everything that a typical little brother is like, including the fondness for his big sister, and the dislike for his big sister's loved one.

Grandma Addams was played by Millie Weston. It is so not easy to be able to portray a 102 year old potty Grandma, but Millie had a brilliant shot at it. She certainly looked the part, and sounded the part, and even got the physicality and naughtiness of this nutty Nan.

Lurch, the Butler, was played by Emma Webster-Tams. The deadpan look on this character's face was wonderful, as were the grunts in response to the Beineke's greetings. Making the butler a little slower moving would have completely nailed the physicality of the role but, you know what, Emma made me grin just with that deadpan visage. Great job!

Uncle Fester, the lunar loving loon, was played by Will Hamilton, and to start with I must say what a great job make up and costume did on Will. They all looked the part due to the hard work in this area, but they made Will look incredible.

Lewis Cuthbert played Lucas Beineke, and what I liked about Lewis is how relaxed and natural he looks on stage. I loved the scene with Wednesday with the crossbow and the apple on the head because it really brought out the fun in the character as well as the chemistry between the two characters. His relaxed acting also transferred to his singing style.

Mrs Beineke was played by Paige Boone who really came alive with the "full disclosure" scene. Paige is an actor who is not afraid to throw everything into the mix. She has a really easy to listen to voice when singing and I can imagine in a few years' time, her voice is going to be in demand for musical theatre productions.

Mr Beineke was played by Lydia Cooper. the problem with the school edition is that the Beineke parents' roles are diminished slightly, so we didn't get to see as much of them as in the full version. Really enjoyed the four way "Crazier Than You" section with all three Beinekes and Wednesday though.

This show is perfect for school drama groups though because The Ancestors allow for a whole bunch of actors to become involved.

Casey Sowersby, Madelyne Woodroffe, Jessica Amariel, Chloe Cresswell, Imogen Scott, Jack Roome, Sophie Ella-Wardle, Millie Ingram, Lily Goodge, Maddie Taft, Martha Smart, Max Turberfield, Emmie Simmons, Gizel Chaparova, Jessica Parker, Sydney Heeb, Rowan Jackson and Thomas Renshaw packed the performance area with volume and fun.

There always seems to be one from an ensemble section that manages to catch my eye, and this is no different. No idea of her name but she was the young lady who caught the bouquet at the wedding scene. She had such an expressive face and looked as she was loving every minute of what she was doing. That energy she has will stand her in good stead if drama is what she wants to pursue.

Directed by Mr Beardmore, he kept everything tight and pacy. Mr Beardmore was also responsible for stage management along with Mr Woodward and Mrs Buxton. That explains the swiftness of the placing and removal of the props.

Mrs Dennis was the Producer, Musical Director as well as Choreographer. All three roles indicated that a lot of blood, sweat and tears had gone into these jobs.

The live band did a brilliant job providing the musical backing. George Parkinson, Mr Dickson, Dawn Bratby, Diane Grebby, Sharon Stansfield, Seb Taylor, Fran Worthington, Robert Stansfield, Elliott Woodhouse, Justin Chambers, Paul Robins and Mrs Attenborough made up the Addams Family Band.

Mr Mendham was Technical Director.

The set and props, including that deadly looking "chair of persuasion", were designed by Mrs Buxton and Mr Woodward.

The Technical Team consisted of Seb Taylor, Jack Clark, Giz Gulen, Roxy Freer-Jackson and Mr Fletcher.

I would have loved to have had this level of drama when I was at school, but thank goodness that most schools have something of this level within their curriculum. It's a lot of time and hard work, from all quarters, but when the results of that hard work and time produce such a fun and well-performed production, it's worth every second.

Unfortunately I was not able to attend this production until their last performance, but if you see other productions done at the Long Eaton School, please support them because this is where dramatic talent is nurtured, which may lead to becoming involved in other drama groups outside school.