Samantha Womack, Les Dennis and Carrie Hope Fletcher Star in THE ADDAMS FAMILY at The Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury

Samantha Womack, Les Dennis and Carrie Hope Fletcher star in The Addams Family, coming to The Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury, next month (May).

This new musical comedy is based on the kooky characters created by Charles Addams. Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, has grown up and has a shocking secret that only family patriarch Gomez knows: she's fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family. Gomez must do something he's never done before - keep a secret from his beloved wife, Morticia.

Everything will change for the whole family on the fateful night they host a dinner for Wednesday's "normal" boyfriend and his parents. All the usual clan are present - Uncle Fester, Lurch, Pugsley et al.

Samantha takes on the role of Morticia, fresh from leaving BBC1's EastEnders after nearly a decade as Ronnie Mitchell. Samantha has also played Tanya Dawson for three series of the hit comedy Mount Pleasant (Sky1) and, on film she will be reprising her role next summer as Michelle Unwin in Kingsman: The Golden Circle.

Her stage credits include Nellie Forbush in the Lincoln Center Theater's Tony Award-winning production of South Pacific (Barbican Theatre and UK tour), Michael Grandage's West End production of Guys And Dolls opposite Patrick Swayze (Piccadilly Theatre), and Peter Hall's production of Pinter's Betrayal (Theatre Royal Bath). Samantha starred in The Marlowe's 2013/14 pantomime, Jack And The Beanstalk.

Les Dennis spent the last three years playing burglar-turned-Romeo, Michael Rodwell, in ITV's Coronation Street. Immediately before appearing in The Addams Family, he was at the Menier Chocolate Factory in the musical She Loves Me.

Les's other stage credits include the musicals Me And My Girl, Chicago, Monty Python's Spamalot and Hairspray. He took a hit one-man play Jigsy, to the Edinburgh Fringe and, in 2016, produced and starred in the sell-out 40th anniversary production of Alan Bleasdale's Down The Dock Road at the Royal Court Liverpool.

Carrie Hope Fletcher's recent theatre credits include Eponine in Les Misérables (London and Dubai), Truly Scrumptious in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (UK and Ireland tour, including The Marlowe), Beth in Jeff Wayne's arena tour War of the Worlds, and Wind In The Willows (Regent's Park Open Air Theatre). In 2015, Carrie released her first book, All I Know Now: Wonderings and Reflections On Growing Up Gracefully, and her second book, On The Other Side, was released last year.

The Addams Family musical is by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, who co-wrote the book for the multi-award-winning Jersey Boys. Marshall wrote or co-wrote the film screenplays for Sleeper, Annie Hall, Manhattan, Manhattan Murder Mystery, For the Boys and Intersection, and was head writer for The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Rick's play, Peter And The Starcatcher, received nine nominations and won five 2012 Tony Awards. The Addams Family music and lyrics are by Andrew Lippa, who wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway musical, Big Fish, the music for the Broadway production of Aaron Sorkin's play The Farnsworth Invention, and the book, music and lyrics for the Drama Desk award-winning musical The Wild Party. He wrote Evil Like Me, which was sung by Dove Cameron and Kristin Chenoweth in the 2015 Disney film Descendants.

The Addams Family tour is directed by Matthew White, who recently directed She Loves Me at the Menier Chocolate Factory, where he also directed Candide, Sweet Charity (and West End) and Little Shop Of Horrors (and West End). Other recent directing credits include the UK tour of The Producers and the UK tour and West End run of Top Hat. Choreography will be by Alistair David, who directed and choreographed Robbie Williams's worldwide concert tour Swings Both Ways, and whose recent theatre credits include Two Noble Kinsmen (Royal Shakespeare Company), Show Boat (Sheffield Crucible Theatre and New London Theatre) and Seven Brides For Seven Brothers (Regent's Park Open Air Theatre).

The Addams Family is at The Marlowe Theatre from Tuesday 23 to Saturday 27 May, with performances at 7.30pm (not Friday), 2.30pm (Thursday and Saturday), and 5pm and 8.30pm (Friday). Tickets, priced from £24.25 to £42.25 (concessions available), are from the Box Office on 01227 787787, and marlowetheatre.com.

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