The Addams Family UK Tour
Cliffs Pavilion, Southend on Sea
30th May to 3rd June 2017
starring
Samantha Womack, Les Dennis and Carrie Hope Fletcher
Cliffs Pavilion, Southend on Sea
30th May to 3rd June 2017
starring
Samantha Womack, Les Dennis and Carrie Hope Fletcher
The sun is shining in London as we approach the rehearsal studio where the cast of The Addams Family are just coming to the end of a complete run through of the show which will shortly be touring the UK this year. Regional press, representing some of the many theatres across the UK and Ireland, who will be hosting the production, have arrived in force and are eagerly awaiting a preview from the cast of one of the show's opening numbers, When You're An Addams, and Southend Theatre Scene were first in line to get a great view.
Above: The cast of The Addams Family UK Tour with Grant McIntyre, Valda Aviks, Cameron Blakely Samantha Womack, Carrie Hope Fletcher and Les Dennis & Charlotte Page centre
Headlining this amazing cast are Samantha Womack, Les Dennis and Carrie Hope Fletcher who will star as Morticia, Fester and Wednesday Addams and Southend Theatre Scene were thrilled to be able to speak to them about their exciting roles in what will be a UK and Irish premier production of The Addams Family, a musical comedy, with book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, and music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa, based on the characters created by Charles Addams.
The story is centred around Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness. She has grown up and has a shocking secret that only Gomez knows; she’s fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family! Now, Gomez Addams must do something he’s never done before — 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. All the usual clan are present - Uncle Fester, Lurch, Pugsley et al.
The story is centred around Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness. She has grown up and has a shocking secret that only Gomez knows; she’s fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family! Now, Gomez Addams must do something he’s never done before — 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. All the usual clan are present - Uncle Fester, Lurch, Pugsley et al.
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Samantha Womack tells us all about playing sexy Morticia and how touring makes the cast feel like a real family!
Samantha takes on the role of Morticia Addams fresh from leaving BBC1’s EastEnders after nearly a decade as Ronnie Mitchell. She has also played Tanya Dawson for three series of the hit comedy Mount Pleasant (Sky1) and, on film she will be reprising her role next summer as Michelle Unwin in Kingsman: The Golden Circle. Her stage credits include Nellie Forbush in the Lincoln Center Theater's Tony Award-winning production of South Pacific (Barbican Theatre & UK Tour), Michael Grandage's West End production of Guys & Dolls opposite Patrick Swayze (Piccadilly Theatre) and Peter Hall's production of Pinter's Betrayal (Theatre Royal Bath). |
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Les Dennis reveals to us the reasons for deciding to go completely bald for the part of Uncle Fester and how he raised money for the Breast Cancer Now charity at the same time! Whatta guy!
Les spent the last three years playing burglar-turned-Romeo, Michael Rodwell, in ITV’s Coronation Street. Immediately prior to starring in THE ADDAMS FAMILY, he will appear at the Menier Chocolate Factory in the musical She Loves Me. Les’s other stage credits include the musicals Me & My Girl, Chicago, Monty Python’s Spamalot and Hairspray. He took a hit one-man play Jigsy, to the Edinburgh Fringe and, in 2016, produced and starred in the sell-out 40th anniversary production of Alan Bleasdale’s Down the Dock Road at the Royal Court Liverpool. |
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Carrie Hope Fletcher chats to us about her role as Wednesday Addams, what odd thing she found out about Wednesday's feet and how bringing friends back to her family home can be a bit awkward sometimes!
Carrie's recent theatre credits include Eponine in Les Misérables (London and Dubai), Truly Scrumptious in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (UK & Ireland Tour), Beth in Jeff Wayne’s Arena Tour War of the Worlds, and Wind in the Willows (Regent‘s Park Open Air Theatre). In 2015, Carrie released her first book, All I Know Now: Wonderings and Reflections on Growing Up Gracefully, and her second book, On the Other Side, was released in July 2016. |
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Below: Pictures of the cast performing When You're An Addams from The Addams Family musical (click pic to play slideshow)
Photo credits: Stephen Hawke
Photo credits: Stephen Hawke
Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice co-wrote the book for the multi award-winning Jersey Boys. Marshall wrote or co-wrote the film screenplays for Sleeper, Annie Hall, Manhattan, Manhattan Murder Mystery, For the Boys and Intersection, and was head writer for The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Rick’s play, Peter and the Starcatcher, received nine nominations and won five 2012 Tony Awards. 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. He wrote the song called ‘Evil Like Me’, which was sung by Dove Cameron and Kristin Chenoweth in the 2015 Disney film Descendants.
The UK & Ireland Tour will be directed by Matthew White, who directed She Loves Me at the Menier Chocolate Factory, where he also directed Candide, Sweet Charity (and West End) and Little Shop of Horrors (and West End). Other recent directing credits include the UK Tour of The Producers and the UK Tour and West End run of Top Hat. Choreography will be by Alistair David, who directed and choreographed Robbie Williams’s worldwide concert tour Swings Both Ways, and whose recent theatre credits include Two Noble Kinsmen (Royal Shakespeare Company), Show Boat (Sheffield Crucible Theatre and New London Theatre) and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre). The production will be designed by Diego Pitarch, with musical supervision by Richard Beadle, lighting design by Ben Cracknell and musical direction by Andrew Hilton.
THE ADDAMS FAMILY UK & Ireland Tour is produced by United Theatrical, Aria Entertainment and Music & Lyrics Limited, in association with the Festival Theatre Edinburgh, and is presented through special arrangement with Theatrical Rights Worldwide.
For further information, please visit www.theaddamsfamily.co.uk Twitter: @AddamsFamilyUK
The UK & Ireland Tour will be directed by Matthew White, who directed She Loves Me at the Menier Chocolate Factory, where he also directed Candide, Sweet Charity (and West End) and Little Shop of Horrors (and West End). Other recent directing credits include the UK Tour of The Producers and the UK Tour and West End run of Top Hat. Choreography will be by Alistair David, who directed and choreographed Robbie Williams’s worldwide concert tour Swings Both Ways, and whose recent theatre credits include Two Noble Kinsmen (Royal Shakespeare Company), Show Boat (Sheffield Crucible Theatre and New London Theatre) and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre). The production will be designed by Diego Pitarch, with musical supervision by Richard Beadle, lighting design by Ben Cracknell and musical direction by Andrew Hilton.
THE ADDAMS FAMILY UK & Ireland Tour is produced by United Theatrical, Aria Entertainment and Music & Lyrics Limited, in association with the Festival Theatre Edinburgh, and is presented through special arrangement with Theatrical Rights Worldwide.
For further information, please visit www.theaddamsfamily.co.uk Twitter: @AddamsFamilyUK
For tickets to see The Addams Family in Southend call the box office on 01702 351135 or go online to www.southendtheatres.org.uk