INTERVIEW WITH THE ADDAMS FAMILY STARS SAMANTHA WOMACK AND CAMERON BLAKELY Samantha Womack <Morticia> Cameron Blakely <Gomez>
and that was a real saving grace for us. and to make him like a matinee idol romantic type rather than too silly. Cameron: It was delayed a few I loved the original TV series very times at various points during much but I wanted to make it fresh various lockdowns, which was very and not to be hindered but inspired frustrating. But I ended up using my by Raoul’s Gomez whilst trying not driving skills to do Argos deliveries to copy him. It’s such a great role for a while, which was jolly good fun. because it has everything. And the I really enjoy driving so I thought way the composer has written the ‘How can I at least try and make a score it’s different for each character, bit of money out of it?’ I did that and so Gomez gets all the sort of Latin it was very enjoyable just keeping music - very melodramatic and active and doing something. romantic with a Spanish feel to it.
What’s in store for audiences who come see The Addams Family? Cameron: A lot of quirkiness, a lot of laughs and a lot of miscommunication. In a way it’s like a dark farce. And I think everyone needs a bit of escapism at the moment, after the year we’ve all had, and this show really provides that. Whether it’s any form of the arts, be it theatre or music, it’s lovely to be able to forget what What are you most looking forward everyone’s been going through to about being back on stage? and just have a great time. Cameron: Just the thrill of doing what you’re trained to do, your Samantha: It’s a family show with main vocation, and to connect with a dark comedic twist and it centres a crowd again - knowing that you’re around the fact Wednesday has hopefully making people happy and fallen in love. She is planning on making them laugh. It’s also going marrying a rather normal, ordinary to be great seeing other parts of person and there’s outrage on the country because we’ve all sort Morticia’s part when she finds of been in enforced prison mode, out. And I’m really glad we’re haven’t we, for such a long time. It’ll bringing back such a fun show be lovely to get back out on the road with that slightly dark comedic again, see different cities and share element because I think people this wonderful musical with people. are ready for that right now. Also, it’s a multi-generational show that Samantha: For me it’s the audiences, appeals to all ages. There’s a lot in one million percent. You’re riding a it for the kids, obviously, but the wave; the audience feel it and you feel more nuanced humour is there it. It’s a kind of transaction between for the adults, not to mention you and them which is just magical. the fact it’s got the most beautiful operatic score by Andrew Lippa Morticia and Gomez are such iconic and a book by the same team characters. How do you put your [Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice] own stamp on them? who did Jersey Boys. It’s a very Samantha: It’s interesting because accomplished piece that whole I’ve just gone back and watched families can come along and enjoy. some of what I did the first time, which I don’t usually do but we’ve How did it feel when the tour got a reduced rehearsal time. She’s kept being put on hold because more complicated to get right than of the pandemic? you think. There’s the distinctive Samantha: At first, like with voice, minimal movement and everyone, it felt like a kind of break arch comedic sensibility, but also and because of that initial burst of there’s a softer side, a passion and hot weather we all felt we were sensuality. You want her to be quite on an extended holiday. Then the terrifying so the comedy works but reality started to dawn that we were at the same time she has to believe dealing with something which was in love and passion. Looking back at really quite terrifying. Livelihoods the tapes, I think I was so focused were lost and the arts began to on getting the movement and sound disappear, children weren’t able to right but I’m not sure I captured the eat properly because their school danger as much. dinners had been taken away - it was a really depressing time. We Cameron: I was always a great fan of stayed quite close to home and Raoul Julia, who played Gomez in spent a lot of time in the garden. the movies. I wanted to make him We’re lucky to have outside space quite Spanish, as he was in the films,
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Do you have anything in common with them? Cameron: I do secretly quite like growing a moustache in a retro 1970s way. I got quite attached to it when I first did the show [in 2017] and didn’t get rid of it for about a year afterwards. With Gomez’s romanticism, I’m quite similar to him in that sense, as am I when it comes to his passion. Samantha: I can absolutely relate to holding the family together as a mother, and I think that compromise of being vulnerable and formidable at the same time is something I think most women would identify with. [Laughs] And I’m definitely an oddball. Tell us a bit about your costumes for the show… Cameron: I mostly get to wear the iconic pinstripe suit with a bowtie, occasionally smoking a cigar, and I have nice black and white spats. Then in Act Two around the dinner table I’m in a beautifully loud and garish smoking jacket with a cravat. Samantha: Morticia is all in black, in things that are as tight and long as possible. [Laughs] So post-lockdown that’s going to be a real issue. There’s an elegance to her and she needs to look like she’s gliding, so the dresses have to kind of melt into the floor and arms should look long, extended and kind of spider-like. It’s full of great musical numbers. Do you have a favourite to perform? Cameron: There’s one called Happy/ Sad, which is a lovely reflective song that Gomez sings to his daughter about being in love and how much she’s grown over the years. It always
