Here's a nice video of several clips of the musical:
Showing posts with label live. Show all posts
Showing posts with label live. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010
"The Addams Family" Musical Disappoints on Broadway
Reviews are now out for the Addams Family's Broadway opening... any they're not exactly pretty.
Here's a bit of the Reuter's Review:
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A big-budget Broadway musical adaptation of the classic celebration of eccentricity and morbidity, "The Addams Family," was panned by critics on Friday as bland and boring.
The production, which opened on Thursday, stars Nathan Lane as Gomez and Bebe Neuwirth as Morticia. It derives from Charles Addams' New Yorker cartoons that also inspired the 1960s television series and two 1990s movies.
"You'll laugh a lot, though never during the unmemorable songs, which are supposed to be funny but aren't," said The Wall Street Journal. "You're more than likely to spend a considerable part of the evening wondering how much the set cost."
Critics said an accomplished cast could not rescue generic, bland musical numbers and predictable jokes.
Finish this Review
The most scathing review I've read is the one posted in the all-important New York Times.
It starts out a bit like this:
Imagine, if you dare, the agonies of the talented people trapped inside the collapsing tomb called “The Addams Family.” Being in this genuinely ghastly musical — which opened Thursday night at the Lunt-Fontanne Theater and stars a shamefully squandered Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth — must feel like going to a Halloween party in a strait-jacket or a suit of armor. Sure, you make a flashy (if obvious) first impression. But then you’re stuck in the darn thing for the rest of the night, and it’s really, really uncomfortable. Why, you can barely move, and a strangled voice inside you keeps gasping, “He-e-e-lp! Get me out of here!”
Read more of this review, if you dare
Here's a bit of the Reuter's Review:
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A big-budget Broadway musical adaptation of the classic celebration of eccentricity and morbidity, "The Addams Family," was panned by critics on Friday as bland and boring.
The production, which opened on Thursday, stars Nathan Lane as Gomez and Bebe Neuwirth as Morticia. It derives from Charles Addams' New Yorker cartoons that also inspired the 1960s television series and two 1990s movies.
"You'll laugh a lot, though never during the unmemorable songs, which are supposed to be funny but aren't," said The Wall Street Journal. "You're more than likely to spend a considerable part of the evening wondering how much the set cost."
Critics said an accomplished cast could not rescue generic, bland musical numbers and predictable jokes.
Finish this Review
The most scathing review I've read is the one posted in the all-important New York Times.
It starts out a bit like this:
Imagine, if you dare, the agonies of the talented people trapped inside the collapsing tomb called “The Addams Family.” Being in this genuinely ghastly musical — which opened Thursday night at the Lunt-Fontanne Theater and stars a shamefully squandered Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth — must feel like going to a Halloween party in a strait-jacket or a suit of armor. Sure, you make a flashy (if obvious) first impression. But then you’re stuck in the darn thing for the rest of the night, and it’s really, really uncomfortable. Why, you can barely move, and a strangled voice inside you keeps gasping, “He-e-e-lp! Get me out of here!”
Read more of this review, if you dare
Addams Family Musical on the Late Show
Here is a new opening number from the Addams Family musical.
This number wasn't in the Chicago preview.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Monday, December 7, 2009
Addams Family and Munsters Join through Dinner Theater
According to Shibori Girl of of blogspot.com, the Addams family and the Munsters came close to uniting at the Golden Plough Inn in Peddler's Village, PA. Unfortunately, this joining ended in tragedy with the death of Eddie Munster.
While claims of the Munsters appearance in this production are unverified, Without A Cue Productions, LLC has indeed been presenting a Murder Mystery Dinner Theater entitled, "Itt's an Addams Family Mystery," since September. The Dinner Theater is summed up on the peddlersvillage.com website:
Neat. Sweet. Deceased.
The Addams Family.
The show will be running until December 26th.
Read an article on the show on phillyburbs.com
Check out what Shibori Girl had to say about the show (includes photos)
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Friday, November 27, 2009
Musical News
Since the output of Addams Family Broadway news, since the musical previewed, has consisted mostly of odds and ends, you may see a few compilation posts here until December 9th, the date of the official opening. A few of the more substantial fan reviews and articles about the play will be archived here.
There was recently a small feature on the play in Entertainment Weekly. Also, there was an article in the Chicago Tribune that was accidentally over-looked during archiving on the 13th.
theaddamsfamilymusical.com has released a new audio slide show with Phelim McDermott and Julian Crouch (direction and design of the new musical).
More photos have also been uploaded of the Oriental Theater in Chicago by g33kgrrl of Flickr.com.
Finally, a fairly lengthy review/plot synopsis of the play can now be found on marcharshbarger.blogspot.com.
There was recently a small feature on the play in Entertainment Weekly. Also, there was an article in the Chicago Tribune that was accidentally over-looked during archiving on the 13th.
theaddamsfamilymusical.com has released a new audio slide show with Phelim McDermott and Julian Crouch (direction and design of the new musical).
More photos have also been uploaded of the Oriental Theater in Chicago by g33kgrrl of Flickr.com.
Finally, a fairly lengthy review/plot synopsis of the play can now be found on marcharshbarger.blogspot.com.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
Chicago Sun-Times Article
(The large version of the above photo was posted by livejournal's mrsxlovett.)
A 'Family' portrait
Making a musical of 'The Addams Family' took more than a snap of the fingers for its creators
BY HEDY WEISS Sun-Times Theater Critic
The very first cartoon depicting members of what eventually would become the Addams Family appeared in The New Yorker magazine in 1938.
Standing at the bottom of a stairway, in the dark interior of what seems to be a rather grand home, the couple who will eventually be named Gomez and Morticia are watching as a salesman demonstrates a vacuum cleaner. The caption reads: “Vibrationless, noiseless, and a great time and back-saver. No well-appointed home should be without it.”
Read the full Chicago Sun-Times article, An 'Addams Family' Musical by the numbers .
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
New York Tickets On Sale!
Tickets for the Addams Family Musical's Broadway premier in New York are now on sale!
The play will be performed at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in New York City, NY.
Tickets are available for purchase through Ticketmaster or other online ticket vendors such as TicketsNow.
Check out an article about these tickets on Playbill.com
First preview is on March 4th. Opening night will be April 8th!
Don't forget that tickets are also on sale for this year's world premier in Chicago.
Visit the Broadway in Chicago website
For more, up-to-date news about the Musical, visit the Addams Family Musical Website
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Musical Tickets Now on Sale!
Tickets for the Addams Family Musical's world premier in Chicago are now on sale!
Locals can purchase tickets in person at the Ford Center For The Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre box office at 24 W. Randolph, Chicago. For the rest of us, tickets are available via Ticketmaster or other online ticket vendors such as TicketsNow.
Opening night is November, Friday the 13th!
Visit the Addams Family Musical Website
And visit the Broadway in Chicago website
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Good Reviews For Addams Family Musical Reading
The Online New York Post reports reviews, summary, and snippits of the invitation-only first reading of the Addams Family script.
From the Post:
DA-DA-DA-DUM. Snap, snap!
Good buzz is coming out of this week's invitation-only reading of "The Addams Family" musical, with lots of cheers for what one spy calls a "brilliantly funny" cast - Nathan Lane (Gomez), Bebe Neuwirth (Morticia), Kevin Chamberlain (Uncle Fester), Marylouise Burke (Grandmama) and Terence Mann and Jan Maxwell as a "normal" couple.
Rick Elice and Marshall Brickman, who wrote "Jersey Boys," have come up with an original story, taking nothing from either the TV show or the movies. The Addams estate, I'm told, was adamant that the musical be based solely on Charles Addams' New Yorker drawings.
"They have complete control over just about everything on this show, and they rule with an iron fist," a source says of the estate, which is said to collect millions of dollars a year on all things Addams.
The musical is set in the present day, and the Addams family lives in a spooky castle in the middle of Central Park. The plot is a bit like "Meet the Parents," with Gomez and Morticia throwing a dinner party for the parents of their daughter Wednesday's boyfriend.
Among many funny wisecracks, this one got the biggest laugh (for the full effect, imagine Nathan doing one his famous double takes on the punch line):
Morticia: When your mother moved in, it was supposed to be for two weeks. She's been upstairs now for 12 years.
Gomez: My mother? I thought that was your mother!
"The story's a little thin, but they fire a lot of funny jokes at you," says a theater executive, who says he's going to invest in the $10 million show.
Andrew Lippa's score is getting mixed reviews. While Lippa's an accomplished composer ("The Wild Party"), he's not exactly a tunesmith.
"Truthfully, I didn't leave humming any of the songs," one person says. "It's not a bad score by any means, but I think you've got to have a couple of songs that are as catchy as the famous theme."
Read the rest on NYPost.com!
From the Post:
DA-DA-DA-DUM. Snap, snap!
Good buzz is coming out of this week's invitation-only reading of "The Addams Family" musical, with lots of cheers for what one spy calls a "brilliantly funny" cast - Nathan Lane (Gomez), Bebe Neuwirth (Morticia), Kevin Chamberlain (Uncle Fester), Marylouise Burke (Grandmama) and Terence Mann and Jan Maxwell as a "normal" couple.
Rick Elice and Marshall Brickman, who wrote "Jersey Boys," have come up with an original story, taking nothing from either the TV show or the movies. The Addams estate, I'm told, was adamant that the musical be based solely on Charles Addams' New Yorker drawings.
"They have complete control over just about everything on this show, and they rule with an iron fist," a source says of the estate, which is said to collect millions of dollars a year on all things Addams.
The musical is set in the present day, and the Addams family lives in a spooky castle in the middle of Central Park. The plot is a bit like "Meet the Parents," with Gomez and Morticia throwing a dinner party for the parents of their daughter Wednesday's boyfriend.
Among many funny wisecracks, this one got the biggest laugh (for the full effect, imagine Nathan doing one his famous double takes on the punch line):
Morticia: When your mother moved in, it was supposed to be for two weeks. She's been upstairs now for 12 years.
Gomez: My mother? I thought that was your mother!
"The story's a little thin, but they fire a lot of funny jokes at you," says a theater executive, who says he's going to invest in the $10 million show.
Andrew Lippa's score is getting mixed reviews. While Lippa's an accomplished composer ("The Wild Party"), he's not exactly a tunesmith.
"Truthfully, I didn't leave humming any of the songs," one person says. "It's not a bad score by any means, but I think you've got to have a couple of songs that are as catchy as the famous theme."
Read the rest on NYPost.com!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Full Musical Cast & Crew List
mineowyn of livejournal.com has made a nice compilation of info about the upcoming Addams Family musical!
The cast of this developmental workshop includes Nathan Lane as Gomez, Bebe Neuwirth as Morticia, Kevin Chamberlin as Fester, Zachary James as Lurch, Mary Louise Burke as Grandmama, Terrence Mann, Jan Maxwell and more. As is often the case with readings and workshops, this does not necessarily reflect what the final production casting will be.
As previously announced, the musical will make its world premiere Nov. 13, 2009-Jan. 10, 2010, at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre in Chicago, prior to a spring 2010 launch on Broadway.
With a book by Marshall Brickman and partner Rick Elice (librettists of the 2006 Tony Award-winning Best Musical, Jersey Boys) and music and lyrics by Drama Desk Award-winning composer-lyricist Andrew Lippa (The Wild Party), the musical is wholly original and not based on Addams Family material from other media.
Produced by Elephant Eye Theatrical and Roy Furman, The Addams Family has direction and design by Phelim McDermott and Julian Crouch, the creators of Shockheaded Peter.
The Addams Family creative team also includes choreographer Sergio Trujillo, lighting designer Natasha Katz and musical director Mary-Mitchell Campbell.
Visit the livejournal entry for actor/cast links.
The cast of this developmental workshop includes Nathan Lane as Gomez, Bebe Neuwirth as Morticia, Kevin Chamberlin as Fester, Zachary James as Lurch, Mary Louise Burke as Grandmama, Terrence Mann, Jan Maxwell and more. As is often the case with readings and workshops, this does not necessarily reflect what the final production casting will be.
As previously announced, the musical will make its world premiere Nov. 13, 2009-Jan. 10, 2010, at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre in Chicago, prior to a spring 2010 launch on Broadway.
With a book by Marshall Brickman and partner Rick Elice (librettists of the 2006 Tony Award-winning Best Musical, Jersey Boys) and music and lyrics by Drama Desk Award-winning composer-lyricist Andrew Lippa (The Wild Party), the musical is wholly original and not based on Addams Family material from other media.
Produced by Elephant Eye Theatrical and Roy Furman, The Addams Family has direction and design by Phelim McDermott and Julian Crouch, the creators of Shockheaded Peter.
The Addams Family creative team also includes choreographer Sergio Trujillo, lighting designer Natasha Katz and musical director Mary-Mitchell Campbell.
Visit the livejournal entry for actor/cast links.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Addams Family Musical's Official Site
The Addams Family Musical's website is now up and running! Visit the site and join their mailing list for the newest Addams Family Musical news.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Addams Family Musical Sets Dates for Chicago Premiere
Dates and a theater are set for the pre-Broadway world premiere of a new musical version of The Addams Family. Based on the bizarre and beloved family of characters created by cartoonist Charles Addams, the show will begin performances on November 13, 2009, at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre in Chicago and will run through January 10, 2010, prior to a Broadway opening planned for the spring of 2010.
Read more on broadway.com
Read more on broadway.com
Thursday, November 6, 2008
John Astin Joins Tribute to Edgar Allan Poe
John Astin is scheduled to narrate in the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra's celebration of Edgar Allan Poe's 200th birthday. The musical tribute will be preformed on November 6th at The Music Center of Strathmore and November 7th and 8th at Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall.
Follow the link for more information about the preformance
Follow the link for more information about the preformance
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Casting Call
Open auditions for “The Addams Family” The Musical are being held in New York on October 29th! For all you Addams Family fans out there who happen to be professional dancers, here are the details:
The Addams Family- The Musical- Equity Chorus Call/Dancers
Producer: Stuart Oken Workshop Contract $560/week minimum (if a 5-day week) or $672/week minimum (if a 6-day week).
Workshop dates: January 14 – 27, 2009.
Seeking: Ensemble Dancers (m/f): 20s – 40s, all ethnicities. Strong classically and technically trained dancers who have a strong contemporary background. Seeking all types, with a quirky sense of movement and style. Seeking dancers who sing very well. Knowledge of tango and flamenco dancing a plus.
Some good things about being in a Workshop Contract production:
In addition to the salary the Actors earn during the Workshop sessions, they also earn a share in the future success of the show. For their contributions to the development of the show, the Actors share in contingent compensation that takes two forms. First, the Actors share in the weekly box office gross when the show is produced under contract; that is, the Actors, as a group, share a percentage (usually 1%) of the gross box office receipts. However, the percentage of gross receipts may increase when there is more than one session of the Workshop. Equity determines each Actor’s share based on the number of days/weeks that the Actor participated in the Workshop.
Second, the Actors share in any subsidiary rights income which is generated by the play. For example, subsidiary rights income can come from royalties from foreign productions, stock and amateur rights, or from the sale of motion picture rights. The Actors’ share of subsidiary rights is usually 1.5% of net receipts.
Those Actors who complete the Workshop must also be offered employment to perform the same role or function in the first subsequent production of the play under a standard Equity contract, or they must be offered no less than four weeks’ minimum salary under the appropriate Equity contract.
Equity Chorus Call/Dancers
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
10 AM – Equity women dancers who sing well
2 PM – Equity men dancers who sing well
@
Ripley-Grier Studios
520 Eighth Avenue, 16th Floor
Please be warmed up and ready to dance when the call begins. Jazz shoes or sneakers and comfortable clothing. Some may be asked to stay and sing after all have danced. Please prepare 16 bars of a contemporary musical theater song or pop song. Bring sheet music; an accompanist will be provided.
Please bring a picture and resume, stapled together.
Link to the original page
The Addams Family- The Musical- Equity Chorus Call/Dancers
Producer: Stuart Oken Workshop Contract $560/week minimum (if a 5-day week) or $672/week minimum (if a 6-day week).
Workshop dates: January 14 – 27, 2009.
Seeking: Ensemble Dancers (m/f): 20s – 40s, all ethnicities. Strong classically and technically trained dancers who have a strong contemporary background. Seeking all types, with a quirky sense of movement and style. Seeking dancers who sing very well. Knowledge of tango and flamenco dancing a plus.
Some good things about being in a Workshop Contract production:
In addition to the salary the Actors earn during the Workshop sessions, they also earn a share in the future success of the show. For their contributions to the development of the show, the Actors share in contingent compensation that takes two forms. First, the Actors share in the weekly box office gross when the show is produced under contract; that is, the Actors, as a group, share a percentage (usually 1%) of the gross box office receipts. However, the percentage of gross receipts may increase when there is more than one session of the Workshop. Equity determines each Actor’s share based on the number of days/weeks that the Actor participated in the Workshop.
Second, the Actors share in any subsidiary rights income which is generated by the play. For example, subsidiary rights income can come from royalties from foreign productions, stock and amateur rights, or from the sale of motion picture rights. The Actors’ share of subsidiary rights is usually 1.5% of net receipts.
Those Actors who complete the Workshop must also be offered employment to perform the same role or function in the first subsequent production of the play under a standard Equity contract, or they must be offered no less than four weeks’ minimum salary under the appropriate Equity contract.
Equity Chorus Call/Dancers
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
10 AM – Equity women dancers who sing well
2 PM – Equity men dancers who sing well
@
Ripley-Grier Studios
520 Eighth Avenue, 16th Floor
Please be warmed up and ready to dance when the call begins. Jazz shoes or sneakers and comfortable clothing. Some may be asked to stay and sing after all have danced. Please prepare 16 bars of a contemporary musical theater song or pop song. Bring sheet music; an accompanist will be provided.
Please bring a picture and resume, stapled together.
Link to the original page
Sunday, June 29, 2008
An Evening with John Astin
John Astin read poems, prose excerpts and told anecdotes about his career at the Duncan Smith Theater in Holmdel this week. The special appearances were entitled, "An Evening with John Astin," and were a benefit for the education and community programs of the Holmdel Theatre Company.
-Read an interview with Astin
-Astin talks more about the event
-Read more about the event
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)