Big League Productions, Inc. production presented at The Boch Centre Wang Theatre
Book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice
Music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa
Directed and choreographed by Antoinette Dipietropolo
Music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown

U.S. Tour Website

March 21 – 23, 2025
Boch Centre Wang Theatre
270 Tremont Street
Boston, MA 02116

2 hours and 30 minutes, including one intermission
Virtual Playbill

Review by Helen Ganley

BOSTON — Dr. Frankenstein huddles in his laboratory, taking pieces of a life once passed and intricately stitching them together. He huddles in the dark, throws the switch, and braces for the spark, birthing a new life out of what once passed. Some audiences might see a banner for The Addams Family and think it’s a musical adaption of the 2022 miniseries Wednesday. However, the creature Dr. Frankenstein is adapting isn’t from 2022 at all, but rather the iconic 1964 TV show that predated it. The Boch Center Wang Theatre’s national tour production of The Addams Family breathes life into the familiar classic with entrancing sets, a lively undead ensemble, and catchy songs you just can’t help but snap your fingers to.

The Addams Family musical, with music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa and a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, premiered on Broadway at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in 2010. The story follows the delightfully macabre Addams clan as they face a crisis when Wednesday, their dark-hearted daughter, falls in love with a “normal” boy and invites his conservative parents over for dinner, leading to chaos, secrets, and hilariously spooky antics as Gomez struggles to keep Wednesday’s secret from Morticia.

As the family’s head, Gomez Addams, played by Rodrigo Aragón, struts the stage with foil in hand, ready to swipe at anyone who threatens his family’s honor. Aragón is the dramatic center of the show, sparring with each actor onstage, creating pulsating tension and heart-melting sincerity. Renee Kathleen Koher glides across the stage in her elegant and ghoulish portrayal of Morticia. Her alto in “Secrets” creeps across the crowd, the haunting notes oozing with dramatic irony. The princess of darkness herself, Wednesday Addams, played by Melody Munitz, is a powerhouse, forcefully belting (both her notes and her brother to a chair) during “Pulled.” David Eldridge contrasts her as Lucas Beineke, the duo’s visceral connection, adrenaline-fueled and animalistic, in “Crazier than You.” Sarah Mackenzie Baron is a self-imposed contradiction as Alice Beineke, restrained yet sensual and surface-level yet deep. Baron stands out, walking across dinner tables in “Full Disclosure,” her flushed cheeks evidence of her power and grit. Jackson Barnes has three minutes of fully pantomimed storytelling as Lurch, creating images of being born, playing basketball, dying, and being reborn.

As a hopelessly romantic Uncle Fester, Chris Starsten brings intense comedic energy during “The Moon and Me”, and his deep vibrato in “Let’s Not Talk About Anything Else” is chilling and sincere. Accompanied by Pugsley Addams, Logan Clinger, the two cunning imps throw kinks into the plot of the show every chance they get, with help from their undead friends.

The ghostly dancestors lurch across the stage throughout the show, creating a dual-realitied
narrative with characters on each side of the grave. In group numbers, such as “One Normal
Night” or “When You’re an Addams,” the ensemble offers commentary on each character’s plight
while dancing gracefully across the stage, enhancing the action without taking away from it.
During the performance, lights are constantly flickering across the stage, imbuing
Morticia with a deathly pallor and making it the ancestors feel as if they were truly floating. The
sets are grand, showcasing sliding doors that create portals from the underworld to the Earth and
an ivory staircase that escalates seemingly endlessly into the sky above. Other props, such as
Grandmother’s smoky potions and Gomez’s forever-swishing sword allow the audience to step
inside the crypt of the Addams Family. The costumes are beautifully tailored and artfully show
the contrasts between the Addams family’s dark designs, the Beineke’s bright adornments, and
the ancestor’s shockingly white garments. Antionette Dipietropolo’s choreography and blocking
create distinct tableaus, filling out the stage and creating palpable energy.

If you really want to live before you die, walk, crawl, or dance over to see The Boch Centre’s Wang Theatre’s production of The Addams Family,  a show that is creepy, kooky, and all together ooky. An amazing night is just around the corner. (Snap snap!)

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