‘The Addams Family,’ a modern revisiting of the beloved, spooky characters created by Charles Addams, took the Del Val stage on Friday, March 3. 

Since the world was introduced to the family almost always spotted in monochrome decades ago, the Addams have only become more and more relevant. Time has been quite kind to the Addams family, and its popularity has only increased with each passing day, especially due to modern adaptations of the Addams clan such as Netflix’s ‘Wednesday.’

Del Val’s musical, directed and produced by Clint Ambs, focuses on the Addams family as well as some new characters as they attempt to navigate the tricky emotions surrounding love, family and development. 

First and foremost, the choreography, set design, costumes and music were all fantastic. From the opening scene; which included a nod to the traditional Addams family intro, snaps and all; audiences remained engaged and enthralled. 

The costumes were wonderful, and I was especially intrigued by the outfits sported by the musical’s ensemble: the ancestors. It was lovely to see the historical references in some of the costumes, especially the nods to the Addams family’s Spanish heritage; the conquistador attire sported by one of the ancestors was my personal favorite. 

The music, performed by the orchestra, was a great addition to the action being performed on stage. 

The set design was simply captivating. I loved the design of the classic, terrifying Addams family household, complete with working lights. The set was all-around utilitarian and worked wonderfully for each scene in the musical. 

Then there was the choreography. I loved the dances performed in the opening song, “When you’re an Addams,” and the tango performed between Morticia (Julia Burchill) and Gomez (Dakota Krouse) toward the conclusion of the musical was impeccable.

The storyline behind the musical was engaging. The plot, in its simplest form, could be divided into three main storylines: the conflict between Gomez and Morticia, the one between their daughter Wednesday (Swara Modi), and her boyfriend Lucas (Owen LaRue), as well as the one between Lucas’ parents, Alice (Jessica McGlothin) and Mal (Holden Hutchinson). This breakdown is just the plot in its most basic form, as it is far more intricate. 

Between those three storylines, I enjoyed the dynamic between Gomez and Morticia the most. Since the Addams family patriarch and matriarch are so often depicted as a perfect couple, it was interesting to see conflict erupt and eventually resolve between the two. 

I do wish that I could have seen more of Wednesday and Lucas. The audience was offered little background information about their relationship besides how they met. It would have been nice to have been offered more context, especially since the plot revolves around the prospect of the two getting married. 

I felt the concept of including the ancestors was a missed opportunity, especially since so many members  of the ensemble had such interesting costumes. It would have been great to hear some of the backstories behind some of them; however, regarding the play, the good certainly outweighed the bad. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the subtle historical references, such as the nod to the relationship between Napoleon and Josephine, as well as the reference to Julius Caesar’s assassination. As someone who has a passion for history, I found these little moments some of the most enjoyable of the show. 

All of the actors who took part in this production should be incredibly proud of their performances, but out of all the characters, my favorite certainly was Gomez. Krouse played his role brilliantly, and his portrayal of such an iconic character certainly will stick with audiences for time to come.  

Del Val’s ‘The Addams Family’ certainly exceeded my expectations and was a joy to watch. 

 The musical will also be performed on Friday, March 10 and Saturday, March 11, both at 7 pm in the auditorium. Tickets can be purchased here.