Review: THE ADDAMS FAMILY at The Forum Theater in Jonesboro

They’re creepy, they’re kooky, mysterious, and spooky and altogether ooky! The Foundation of Arts brought The Addams Family to delightfully undead life at the Forum Theatre in Jonesboro, presented by First Community Bank. With Music and Lyrics by Andrew Lippa and Book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, this super funny dark musical ran from October 3–6 and was Directed by Annie Clark-Roberts, with Assistant Director Kilee Erickson, Music Director Jessica Fouts, and Choreographer Jake Seale. The production was a graveyard smash, the kind that makes you laugh, tap your toes, and maybe even snap your fingers twice. 

In this musical comedy, Wednesday Addams has fallen in love with a sweet, smart boy from a “normal” family, and to make things even more shocking, she wants her parents to meet him. Gomez is sworn to keep her secret from Morticia, which, of course, leads to chaos of monstrous proportions. When the two families gather for dinner, the night spirals into hilarious mayhem filled with confessions, curses, and love lessons from beyond the grave. By the end, everyone learns that even the strangest families aren’t so different after all. 

This ensemble did a fabulous job telling this love story from the classic sitcom family. Colton Bruff led the cast with devilish charm as Gomez Addams, balancing fatherly love and frantic secrecy with a wink and a flourish. Amanda Fahlberg was a vision of gothic glamour as Morticia, her every movement dripping with elegance and mischief. Chloe Harpole nailed the role of Wednesday, capturing that perfect mix of deadpan wit and teenage rebellion, while her chemistry with Gavin Frangenberg’s Lucas Beineke was adorably sweet and slightly awkward in all the right ways, proving that love can blossom even in the shadows.  

Silas Parks as Pugsley was mischievous and hilarious, and Reid Rogers’ Uncle Fester absolutely glowed (literally and figuratively) with his moonlit devotion. Debbie Haas’ Grandma was a riot with her zany potions and unpredictable antics, and Sam Frangenberg brought Lurch to life (or perhaps undeath) with impeccable timing and booming grunts. Tim Ward as Mal and Bethany Tosh as Alice Beineke completed the chaos perfectly, giving the night’s dinner disaster all the charm of a darkly comic family reunion. 

Musically, this production hit all the right notes, or perhaps all the delightfully wrong ones. “When You’re an Addams” was a perfectly spooky opener that set the tone for the evening with eerie energy and snappy choreography. “Pulled,” led by Harpole’s Wednesday, was a standout moment. Her powerhouse vocals captured that hilarious struggle between dark and light. And the passionate “Tango de Amor” between Gomez and Morticia turned up both the heat and the humor, leaving the audience in stitches and swoons. 

The set oozed gothic glamour, the costumes screamed “funeral chic,” and every number from tangoing lovers to resurrected ancestors dripped with theatrical flair. If you didn’t come in with a dark sense of humor, you probably developed one by intermission. Director Annie Clark-Roberts clearly knows how to cook up comedy with just the right blend of creepy and campy. The cast leaned into the absurdity with gusto, delivering one-liners with deadly precision and belting out tunes that would wake the dead (and probably make them dance). Jessica Fouts’ musical direction kept everything lively, while Kilee Erickson’s assistance helped ensure not a single coffin lid creaked out of rhythm, and Jake Seale’s choreography brought the ghoulish grooves to life with spirited, spine-tingling fun. 

The audience howled with laughter throughout the evening. Between the family’s grim charm, a few love stories that were to die for, and some electrifying dance numbers with a healthy dose of morbidity. 

There is so much talent in Northeast Arkansas, and I can’t wait to see what’s next. For more information about upcoming shows, visit their website at foajonesboro.org.