Charles Addams gets a Google Doodle

Addams's 100th Birthday celebrated by Google. Read More on the LA Times

Addams Family... the Adult Movie?

Perhaps it is a sign of the Addams Family's impact and its far-reaching influence that Addams Family parody shows up in all forms of media.

This latest one is aimed at those of us who are child at heart--but not children!

Read more: Addams Family hits Adult Films

Addams Family Historic Mansion for Sale

Now you could be the owner of the house that helped conceive the Addams Family.

Read more: Charles Addams's house on sale for $799,00!

"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

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.

New York Musical Previews & Other News

As you may or may not know, there has been much Addams Family news of late. Between the musical previewing in New York, talk of a possible new film adaption by Tim Burton, and an Addams Family book recently released, there has been more than a little news that has gone without coverage in this blog.

This post is a brief list of some highlights that might be worth checking out.

In musical news, by all accounts, the show being preformed in New York is substantially different to that which was seen in Chicago. There is an interesting summary of some of the changes made in this post on broadwayworld.com (beware that some spoilers are contained).

Also, there have been many updates on the official musical's homepage, including cast interviews, cast album release dates, and video interviews with the some of the crew. If you haven't visited the site in a while, it may be about time to stop in.

The Addams Family Blog has been doing a great job of keeping up-to-date with some of the more recent news, including keeping updated on Charles Addams art showings that are going on in New York. Again, I highly recommend checking this site out, too, if you haven't already.

Finally, there has been quite a boom in Addams Family fanfiction writing, as evident on fanfiction.net. Between the fanfiction and Wednesday Addams's twitter account, there should hopefully be enough to keep fans busy between the blog updates posted here. Happy reading!

Addams Family Musical Store Up

Finally, the Addams Family merchandise that you can buy at the musical's gift stand is also available online!



Check out the Addams Family Musical Store

New Tim Burton 3D Animated Film Reported

This news is making waves all over the internet:
Burton will direct a stop-motion animated film based on Charles Addams' original ghoulish cartoon drawings of The Addams Family.

Though, there is also this news, floating around as well:
Tim Burton Denies 'Addams Family' Report. Future Projects 'Not Lined Up'

The Addams Family: an Evilution Available--Now For Preorder

Kevin Miserocchi's new book, The Addams Family: an Evilution is finally available on amazon.com for preorder. The release date is March 31, 2010.

Preorder on amazon.com

Product Description
The 'evilution' of Charles Addams's singularly eccentric family began long before the television and film interpretations made them icons of American popular culture. Addams first created Morticia, Lurch, and The Thing in a cartoon published in a 1938 issue of the New Yorker--though he hadn't named them at the time, or even conceived of a family unit. (When he did name the deadly matriarch, he was inspired by the Yellow Pages listing for 'Morticians.') Other characters were born and developed in a multitude of Addams's cartoons over the next twenty-six years, before the cheerfully creepy clan debuted on ABC television in 1964 and later on the big screen, twice, in 1991 and 1993.
Read more

First Official Video Clips Of Musical Released

Here it is:
 

Snapshots of the Addams Family Musical

New photos of the muscial are officially available at www.broadwayworld.com

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:

It's an Addams Family Reunion and you can be one of the spooky, kooky, or ooky. The family has gathered to renew old ties (and not just the ones at the ends of nooses) and Wednesday has announced a surprise engagement. It's a decidedly odd night, even for the Addamses, as Wednesday is ON her medication, Fester is bitten by the love bug, and with a killer on the loose Gomez and Morticia try to keep the family together (or at least various limbs from wandering off.)
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)

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.

Addams Family Musical Review

The first detailed review/synopsis that I've seen is now available on randomesq.com
Warning: May Include Spoilers!

View a Preview Song from Broadway Production!

Grad it while it's available! This is a song from the new Broadway production.
Grad it on Grab-tube
Read a brief description of this scene on
Addamses's Livejournal page! (Memebers only)

Addamses @ Livejournal.com

Just to remind everyone, for the best place for open discussion of the new musical, check out the "Addamses" blog's livejournal page!

The Addamses Livejournal Page is currently hosting member's only, exclusive photos and info on the merchandise for sale at the Oriental Theatre in Chicago, along with photos of the Theatre, itself, taken on opening night.

The current updates are viewable to Livejournal community members only, so if you haven't joined already, take a moment to sign up for free.
Already have a livejournal? Become a member of addamses and join in the fun!

More Rehearsal Photos

View nine great pics of the Addams Family musical's rehearsals on Playbill.com!

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 .

Bebe Neuwirth Interview

Bebe Neuwirth, actress currently playing Morticia in the Addams Family Musical, recently sat down for an interview about her role!

Addams Family Musical News

Well, there have been quite a few bits of Addams Family Musical news in the last few weeks. Unfortunately, this blog is running very behind in recent coverage. Here's a compilation of some of the most current news.

There is an "audio sideshow" interview with Kevin Chamberlin, performer cast to play Fester, currently available on the Addams Family Musical's official website.

Also, the first photo has been released of the musical's cast in Vanity Fair (the December issue)!

Read what's being said about the musical on Vanity Fair's website. There, you can also find this great video of interviews about the production and ideas behind the upcoming musical.


Finally, you can now take a peek into the life of an Addams Family member on twitter. Wednesday Addams has started her own twitter account. Here's an exert:
"Perusing courses offered @ NYU this year—for curiosity’s sake. “The Science of Happiness,” duly followed in the catalog by “Skepticism”."

The Addams Family musical begins previews on the 13th (Friday the 13th)--that's in just a few days! Find out more on the Addams Family musical's official site!