The UK & Irish premiere of new musical The Addams Family is scheduled to open at the Festival Theatre, Edinburgh on 20 April 2017, directed by Matthew White. As a musical comedy, with book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice( the creators of multi award-winning Jersey Boys) the show is set to delight fans across the country. Music and lyrics are by Andrew Lippa, based on the characters created by Charles Addams.
As a touring production, the show will see Wednesday Addams all grown up, with a secret that only Gomez knows; she’s fallen in love with a young man from a respectable family, far from The Addams family! Gomez Addams must now 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, with all the usual clan present, including Uncle Fester, Lurch and son Pugsley.
The original Broadway production, starring Nathan Lane as Gomez and Bebe Neuwirth as Morticia, ran for just under two years at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. The production also toured the US and international productions have been seen in Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Japan, Australia, Germany and the Czech Republic. Now it is the turn of UK and Irish audiences to relish the performances; British director White has directed the recent UK Tour of The Producers, and the UK Tour and West End run of Top Hat, so audiences are in for a treat. For the Menier Chocolate Factory, he has also directed Candide, Sweet Charity (and in the West End) and Little Shop of Horrors (also West End).
In terms of other creatives’ credits, Andrew Lippa 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.