The Addams Family (musical)

The Addams Family is a musical comedy with music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa and the book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. The show is based upon The Addams Family characters created by Charles Addams in his single-panel gag cartoons, which depict a ghoulish American family with an affinity for all things macabre. Although numerous film and television adaptations of Addams' cartoons exist, the musical is the first stage show based on the characters. Its original run featured Nathan Lane as Gomez and Bebe Neuwirth as Morticia.


 * One Normal Night: Wednesday, hoping to set a good impression with her new beau and his family, requests that the Addams clan try to behave like the average human being. As expected,, and Hilarity Ensues.

"Wednesday: What if I miss? Lucas: Then you'll be the last thing I ever see. Wednesday: That is so hot."
 * All Musicals Are Adaptations: Radio ads for the musical didn't even have to mention the show's name. It consisted of the famous theme song with an announcer saying "They're coming to Broadway" and giving the info to order advanced tickets.
 * Audience Participation: Reportedly when the play opens with the famous TV theme song, no one in the audience needs prompting to snap their fingers in time with the cast.
 * Age Lift: Wednesday is depicted as about 18 here, despite Pugsley still being a pre-teen.
 * Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better: The whole point of Lucas and Wednesday's "Crazier than You" duet. Lucas actually proves he's crazier by blindfolding her before she shoots the apple off his head; in the original Chicago production Wednesday actually exclaims "Oh my god, you are crazier than me!"
 * Black Comedy Rape: The father of Wednesday's fiance is sexually assaulted by a squid; it is played for laughs.
 * Cameo: Thing appears briefly at the start of Act 1, Cousin Itt doing the same at the start of Act 2.
 * Expository Hairstyle Change: Used in the musical to signify that Wednesday's grown up.
 * Funny Foreigner: Gomez is this when portrayed by Lane, who, as the Associate Press claims, gives the character a "deliciously phony Spanish accent"
 * The Musical: Starring Max Bialystock and Lilith as Gomez and Morticia.
 * Rape Is Love: The father of Wednesday's fiance is sexually assaulted by a squid. Although he was terrified at first and was assaulted against his will, he enjoyed it so much he decided to dedicate his life to building aquariums instead of tearing down old buildings.
 * Truth-Telling Session: "Full Disclosure". Being the Act I finale, of course it goes horribly wrong.
 * Unspoken Plan Guarantee: In the tour version, Wednesday explicitly states that her plan to get her and Lucas' families' blessing is that there is no plan.
 * William Telling: Wednesday does this to Lucas during the "Crazier than You" duet, as a test of his love for her. He ups the ante by removing his improvised tie-blindfold and blindfolding her instead.


 * You Look Familiar: Nathan Lane, who previously had a bit part as a police officer in Addams Family Values, went on to play Gomez in the Broadway adaptation.