THEATRE REVIEW: FIVE REASONS TO LOVE "THE ADDAMS FAMILY" AT BROADWAY SD

All in the “Family”:

Broadway San Diego brings out the best in their creepy and kooky musical revival

By Donnie Matsuda

There’s a lot to like about the current national tour of The Addams Family, which spooks its way through San Diego for a week long run, through June 3.  Here, let me count the ways (and the reasons) why this musical will steal your heart … and maybe your soul, as well:

Patrick D. Kennedy (Pugsley), Pippa Pearthree (Grandma), Sara Gettelfinger (Morticia), Douglas Sills (Gomez), Tom Corbeil (Lurch), Cortney Wolfson (Wednesday) and Blake Hammond (Uncle Fester) in THE ADDAMS FAMILY.  Photo by Jeremy Daniel.

First, is the darkly delicious and morbidly tongue-in-cheek humor of America’s most eccentric family, based on the sleek and sinister one-panel cartoons created by Charles Addams.  Here, the family’s gloomy outlook on life and their deathly demeanor are brilliantly brought to life by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice’s slick book which is filled to the brim with clever concepts, kooky characters, laugh-out-loud one-liners, and silly side plots that all pay homage to the masterfully macabre family of its title.  Their main plotline here concerns daughter Wednesday as she falls in love with a (gasp!) “normal” boy named Lucas.  This wouldn’t be so bad, except that Lucas’ parents are on their way to the Addams mansion to “meet the family” and they have no idea what they are in for.  Of course, there are further complications with said family as we find out that dad Gomez has been keeping a secret from his wife Morticia, Pugsley is scheming to sabotage Wednesday’s relationship, and Grandma is high on life (and a few “potions” of her own).  It’s all a recipe for disaster, but thankfully for us, things work out perfectly fine in the end - this *is* a musical, after all - and we are treated to some crazy conflict and some hilarious high jinks along the way. 

Second, is Andrew Lippa’s sharply tuneful score, which runs the gamut from a zesty tango-inspired “When You’re An Addams” to a soaring up-tempo in “Pulled” to a full Broadway-style song-and-dance extravaganza in “(Death is) Just Around the Corner” to a pop/rock inspired “Crazier Than You.”  Lippa has a great ear for catchy melodies and he peppers his eclectic score with a number of meticulous metaphors and highly effective wordplay.  Best of all, he ensures that each one of his eighteen originally composed songs has a reason for being sung and is appropriately linked with the style and flair of the character who sings it.  

Cortney Wolfson (Wednesday) and Patrick D. Kennedy (Pugsley) in THE ADDAMS FAMILY.  Photo by Jeremy Daniel.

Third, this touring company cast is filled with Broadway veterans who show off their acting (and singing) chops with the most delectably devilish of delights.  Tony nominee Douglas Sills is appropriately suave and skillful as Spanish patriarch Gomez and Sara Gettelfinger is every bit his equal as the deliciously droll and deadpan Morticia.  Together, they are a perfect pair with just the right amount of sexiness, silliness, and savvy.  As Wednesday, Courtney Wolfson supplies some powerhouse pipes and a compelling stage presence that brings life to her deathly Goth-inspired get-up.  San Diego native Brian Justin Crum is easy on the eyes and ears as Wednesday’s love interest Lucas while another San Diegan, Tom Corbeil, brings hilarity (and a lot of height) to the role of towering butler Lurch.  And rounding out the uniformly first-rate cast are Blake Hammond as Uncle Fester, Pippa Pearthree as Grandma, Patrick D. Kennedy as Pugsley, Martin Vidnovic as Mal Beineke and Gaelen Gilliland as Alice Beineke.   They are all backed up by an incredibly talented song and dance ensemble of ghost-like creatures collectively termed “The Ancestors,” who are old Addams family members who have come back from the dead.

Fourth, the technical elements and inventive stagecraft add a great deal of quirkiness to the piece and each and every slick trick goes off without a hitch.  From a bed that transforms into a monster to a gold tassel that surprisingly comes to life (and indulges in some romantic antics with Cousin It) to a stratosphere-stretching pas-de-deux between Uncle Fester and the moon, there is definitely no shortage of wacky and wildly fantastic imagination here.  Add to that some ghoulishly grand sets by Julian Crouch and Phelim McDermott, some out of this world lighting by Natasha Katz, and some lurking puppets by Basil Twist, and you’ve got one heck of a show that will knock the socks off even the most lifeless of corpses.

Sara Gettelfinger (Morticia) and Company in THE ADDAMS FAMILY.  Photo by Jeremy Daniel.

Fifth and finally, the direction by the trio of Phelim McDermott, Julian Crouch, and Jerry Zaks really pops on the large stage (aided greatly by a sleek red velvet show curtain that sweeps back and forth, scallops up and down, and conceals set changes).  And adding to the slick staging, Sergio Trujillo provides some delightfully inventive choreography that fits the nature of the piece but still has a whole lot of exuberant fun with some unexpected dance styles, including a couples tango, a “death rattle,” and even a good old fashioned Broadway kick line.

So there you have it.  Five rock-solid reasons why The Addams Family is a musical that will continue to delight and devour audiences for years to come.  Better catch it while you can … because as Morticia warns us, death is just around the co-ro-ner!

The Company of THE ADDAMS FAMILY.  Photo by Jeremy Daniel.

Things to know before you go: The Addams Family presented by Broadway San Diego plays at The San Diego Civic Theatre at 3rd and B Street through June 3, 2012.  Running time is 2 hours and 25 minutes with a 15 minute intermission.  Ticket prices vary.  For more information and to purchase tickets, visit TicketMaster.com, call (888) 937-8995, or visit www.BroadwaySD.com.

AN INTERVIEW WITH TOM CORBEIL AS "THE ADDAMS FAMILY" MAKES ITS WAY TO SAN DIEGO

Leap of Fate:

Professional opera singer (and native San Diegan) Tom Corbeil makes the move from arias to “Addams Family”

By Donnie Matsuda

Tom Corbeil.

Tom Corbeil is not afraid to take on new ventures. 

For the past eight months, the 34-year old opera singer – who has tackled such roles as Leporello in “Don Giovanni,” Colline in “La Boheme,” and Don Basilio in “The Barber of Seville” – has been touring the country as Lurch, the larger-than-life butler in the first national tour of The Addams Family.  It’s a bit of a stretch (pun intended) for him to be stepping into such big shoes and the physical demands of the role required him to extend his 6’6’’ frame to a towering 6’11’’ with the aid of lifts in his shoes.  On top of that, he doesn’t get to showcase his powerful pipes, but instead has learned to communicate by mostly grunting, grumbling, and hitting one single note – a low E-flat – that resonates well with his shambling but mostly silent character. 

Corbeil doesn’t so much mind because he’s always up for giving his booming bass-baritone a rest and this tour (which creeps into the San Diego Civic Theatre starting this Tuesday for a week long run through June 3rd) is a great way for him to break into the world of Broadway musicals – one giant step at a time.  Here, he’s surrounded by a bizarre and beloved cast of musical talents and Corbeil (a newly-born Broadway baby himself) says he’s learned a lot just by watching them work their macabre magic each night on stage. His ghoulishly gloomy co-stars include: Douglas Sills (The Scarlet Pimpernel) as Gomez, Sara Gettelfinger (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Nine, Seussical the Musical) as Morticia, Cortney Wolfson (Les Misérables, The Addams Family on B’way) as Wednesday, Blake Hammond (Sister Act, Billy Elliot, Hairspray, The Lion King) as Uncle Fester, and Pippa Pearthree (Boeing Boeing, Titanic) as Grandma.

Tom Corbeil in 2012.  Photo by Jörg Meyer.

Before going Gothic, Corbeil - who has an undergraduate degree in statistics from the University of California at Davis and a master's degree in Old Testament studies at Regent College in Vancouver - worked for the U.S. Navy as a data analyst in San Diego and joined the chorus at San Diego Opera, which started him on his modern-day musical journey.  He soon quit his day job, and within the next few seasons, Corbeil practiced his craft as a young artist at Opera North, Palm Beach Opera, Florida Grand Opera and Santa Fe Opera (among others), spent a summer in the Merola Opera Center at San Francisco Opera, and made his New York debut with Gotham Chamber Opera singing the role of Enrico in Haydn’s “L’isola disabitata.”   

Now, he’s taking a break from the world of opera and indulging his inner-Addams.  (Although his is scheduled to return to the Canadian Opera Company for “La boheme” and the Florida Grand Opera for “La sonnambula” and will make debuts with Alabama Symphony in Handel’s “Messiah” and Michigan Opera Theater in Rossini’s “Il barbiere di Siviglia” in future seasons.)  For now, amid a crazy whirlwind tour schedule, Corbeil had time to escape his butler duties and answer some questions about how he constructed the character of Lurch, his take on The Addams Family score, and what he’s most looking forward to as he returns to his hometown of San Diego.

DONNIE: Where did you grow up in San Diego?  Did you know at an early age that you were blessed with a professional-grade bass-baritone?

TOM: I grew up just north of downtown San Diego, near the Mission Hills neighborhood. I sang quite a bit as a kid, in church and in school, but I didn’t ever think I’d end up using my voice to pay the bills!

DONNIE: How did you get involved with the first national tour of “The Addams Family”?  It seems like quite a change (and a huge leap) from your career as an accomplished opera singer.

TOM: It’s a funny story actually – the role of Lurch came up in several disparate casual conversations with friends (and a few strangers) in San Diego, Miami, Toronto and New York – all at completely different times. After about the fourth or fifth occurrence, I thought maybe it was time to look into it and see if I might be able to get an audition.

Tom Corbeil transforms from handsome hunk to lanky Lurch.  Photo by Lori Kane for timesunion.com.

DONNIE: Tell me more about the character you play, Lurch.  How did you prepare to tackle this role of the family’s towering, hulking butler?  

TOM: Lurch is a tricky character to pin down – it can be very easy just to try to imitate performers who have played him in the past, whether that’s in the TV show, the movies or the Broadway production of the musical. In the rehearsal process, we went back to the original Addams cartoons from the New Yorker and looked at Lurch’s posture and demeanor to provide a foundation from which to build the rest of his character. It was definitely a great challenge, but the result is something that is much more personal for me while still adhering to traditional expectations about this iconic character.

DONNIE: How well does the concept of the Addams Family translate from TV screen to the stage?  Is the musical version as creepy and kooky as we would expect?

TOM: Honestly, I think we exceed what most audience members expect when they enter the theater. The artistic team that put this show together did a phenomenal job of creating the Addams Family ambiance (if you will), and the finished product is just as hilarious as it is heart-warming.

DONNIE: How would you describe the Andrew Lippa composed score?  I’m assuming it’s a far cry from the astounding arias or beautiful ballads you are used to singing.

TOM: The score is really beautifully done, actually – with pop-driven melodies for the younger characters, tango-inspired harmonies and rhythms for Gomez, a great classic Broadway number for Morticia, and lots of really gorgeous, lyrical lines throughout.

Pippa Pearthree (Grandma), Tom Corbeil (Lurch), Douglas Sills (Gomez), Cortney Wolfson (Wednesday), Sara Gettelfinger (Morticia), Blake Hammond (Uncle Fester) and Patrick D. Kennedy (Pugsley) in "The Addams Family" national tour.  Photo by Jeremy Daniel.

DONNIE: How has the show been received by audiences across America?  Any surprises?  Any funny stories?

TOM: We’ve all been really happy with the response we’ve been getting – there’s nothing like watching an audience of thousands rise to their feet after the final notes have been played. And of course there are some great moments that we laugh about backstage – I’ve been accidentally punched in the face a few times!

DONNIE: What are you most looking forward to as the show tours through your hometown of San Diego?

TOM: It’s always great to be home. I’m mostly looking forward to seeing my family and friends. And the sunshine isn’t going to be taken for granted, I promise you that!

DONNIE: Any more aspirations for breaking out of your comfort zone once the tour is over?  Ballroom dancing or Cirque-inspired acrobatics, perhaps? 

TOM: Well, I started my singing career after working as a data analyst in Point Loma for three years. So, who knows? Maybe I’ll move on to something completely different in a few years.

For more information about The Addams Family at Broadway San Diego, visit: http://www.broadwaysd.com/theaddamsfamily.php

For more information about The Addams Family tour, visit: http://www.theaddamsfamilymusicaltour.com/

SPRING BREAK TIME!!

The SD Drama King will be taking a two week “blog-break” from now until April 27^th. I will still be seeing shows and conducting interviews, but won’t be posting anything during this two week “Spring Break” period. However, when I return, you can expect reviews of a number of eclectic shows and a handful of super-cool interviews. Here’s a sneak peek at what I’ll be working on over my break:

SHOWS:

“Winter Pops: Tribute to Ray Charles” by The San Diego Symphony

“Brownie Points” by Lamb’s Players Theatre

“TOTEM” by Cirque du Soleil

INTERVIEWS:

Tom Corbeil talks about his leap from opera superstar to playing Lurch in “The Addams Family” national tour

Hunter Foster gets real about his role in La Jolla Playhouse’s world premiere musical, “Hands on a Hardbody”

And if you have any ideas for shows or interviews, feel free to contact The SD Drama King via e-mail at: doctordonnie1@gmail.com.