The Addams Family, with a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa, is an absurdist musical with a moribund conceit performed by two superstars (Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth) a few subsidiary stars (Kevin Chamberlin, Krysta Rodrigues, Jackie Hoffman, Terrence Mann and Carolee Carmello) and a high-steppin' chorus of ghosts. It's full-out farce, full of good jokes performed with perfect comic timing on a brilliant, active set by Phelim McDermott and Julian Crouch who also directed (with a save by Jerry Zaks) and who designed the costumes with flair and panache. Zippy choreography by Sergio Trujillo, and creative, perfect lighting by the masterful Natasha Katz help, too. There is even some terrific puppetry by Basil Twist.
The romantic story propelling the show is weak and simplistic- parents of boy and girl disapprove of the romance - but the plot is only a vehicle for the jokes, and they are good; nobody has better comic timing than Lane. Neuwirth is a beautiful, charismatic performer with great physicality, and she's dazzling in her Tango dance. Chamberlin's Moon Dance is a show-stopper, and the very partisan audience loved the show from finger-snappin' opening to final tableau. Yes, it's "mere entertainment"-- but it's lots of fun, especially for fans of previous incarnations of the Addamses.
