Review: THE ADDAMS FAMILY at Ordway Center For The Performing Arts

If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if the Addams Family invited your in-laws over for dinner, this national tour of The Addams Family musical—now playing at the Ordway—offers a deliciously strange answer. It’s macabre, messy, full of heart, and just self-aware enough to keep you laughing even when the jokes get delightfully groan-worthy.

Set in that creaky, cobwebbed mansion we all know and love, the musical finds Wednesday Addams all grown up—and in love—with a perfectly average boy named Lucas. When she invites him and his conservative Ohio parents over for dinner (without telling her own parents about the engagement), things spiral into an evening of secrets, seduction, potions, confessions, and more than one dead ancestor dancing through the halls.

What makes this production work isn’t just the gags (of which there are plenty), but the sincerity behind the strangeness. Rodrigo Aragón is a charming and magnetic Gomez, equal parts romantic and ridiculous, with a fantastic handle on the show’s mix of slapstick and sincerity. His chemistry with Renee Kathleen Koher’s Morticia is smooth and playful—Koher’s Morticia has a smoky authority that anchors the chaos around her. There’s a scene late in Act II where her cool composure cracks just slightly, and it’s surprisingly moving.

Melody Munitz brings an edge to Wednesday that keeps her from feeling too softened by love—her vocals are strong, and she balances her love story with Lucas (played by Oliver Copaken Yellin) with just enough bite to remind us this is still an Addams. Logan Clinger is a gleefully unhinged Pugsley, and Timothy Hearl as Uncle Fester is a true audience favorite—his moonlit ballad is pure absurdity, performed with such commitment that you can’t help but grin.

The supporting ensemble—particularly the ghostly "ancestors" who haunt the stage throughout—add an eerie visual layer to the show. Dressed in everything from flapper gowns to Viking armor, they function as a living Greek chorus, gliding across the set, stirring up trouble, and occasionally joining in dance numbers that are far more polished than you'd expect from the undead.

Visually, the production leans into its gothic roots without becoming too dark or heavy. The lighting shifts between shadowy purples and stark spotlight moments that give the musical numbers a heightened, spooky theatricality. The set, while not overly elaborate, makes smart use of moving staircases and arches to suggest the Addams’ sprawling mansion without overcomplicating scene changes.

The script (by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice) and music (by Andrew Lippa) walk a fine line between campy and heartfelt. There are definitely a few groaners in the joke department, and some of the ballads feel like filler, but the pacing is brisk and the performers carry the material with enthusiasm. The show runs about two and a half hours with intermission, but it never drags.

This particular stop on the national tour feels especially well-suited to the Ordway’s stage. The acoustics give the score plenty of clarity, and the audience on opening night was clearly onboard from the overture. Laughs landed, applause came often, and by the curtain call, the standing ovation felt fully earned.

In the end, The Addams Family musical doesn’t try to be a reinvention—it’s a love letter to the characters we know, wrapped in a storyline that adds just enough modern friction to keep things interesting. It’s weird, it’s warm, and it’s a perfect way to kick off the spooky season.

Whether you’re a longtime fan of the franchise or just in the mood for a night of laughs, mischief, and a little graveyard tango, this production delivers. Just don’t be surprised if you leave the theater humming “When You’re an Addams” with a slightly sinister grin.

For more ticket and show information, please click the ticket link button below.

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