Photo credit: Modyman photography
Written by Patrick Chavis
The Addams Family musical is playing now at the Cabrillo Playhouse, October 2-November 1, 2026.
The Addams Family musical, or as I like to say, Wednesday is in love, writing and style are way closer to the cartoon or even the black-and-white television show than its darker 90s counterpart.
Cabrillo production boasts some ghoulishly good Ancestor dancers, a delightfully sappy but cute play about growth and acceptance of differences, and some spooky, kooky, fun!
Story:
The Addams Family a comdey musical is a comedy musical largely focused on Wednesday Addams – Christina Ricci was the star(in the 90s films), and the character later got a series as well, starring Jenna Ortega (on Netflix). I enjoyed the first season; it was solid. Oh yeah. The story.
Wednesday, played by Isabella Klein, has fallen in love. No, not with a new crossbow. That’s what I would have thought. A boy, eww. She is in love with a boy, wild. I know. His name’s Lucas, played by Connor Dapkus, and he’s a normal boy, whatever normal means. At the very least, he’s not torturing his little brother for sport with medieval instruments, so he’s normal compared to the daily activities of an Addams. Lucas proposes, and Wednesday accepts, but will the families be okay with it, or are their differences too much to bridge the gap?
Acting:
It’s more in the writing than the actual performance, but the Addams family seems unusually tame in this version. The family issue that comes up with the more normal family from Ohio seems so trivial. But it’s played incredibly well by Will Minton (Mal Beineke), the son, Lucas Beineke (Connor Dapkus), and don’t get me started on the fun performance from Emily Hood, who plays the mother (Alice Beineke).
Actually, why not.
Hood delivers a great performance as Alice Beineke. She disappeared into the role and found the humor, but never went too far with it, which can be easy to do with this kind of character.
A man of few words, but so much to say anyway, Christopher Vournas, in full makeup and bad teeth what a nice touch plays the grumpy but lovable Lurch in wonderful form.
New Faces:
New faces at the Cabrillo Playhouse, with some obvious chops: Isabella Klein as Wednesday brings out the dark, dry humor while also showing a more down-to-earth side of Wednesday, and vocals to boot. Connor Dapkus really captures the character’s anxieties and heart in this showing.
Costumes:
The costumes stayed rather close to what you’d expect from an Addams Family show. Wednesday’s dress from costume designer Andrew Cervero looks like a mix of something Wednesday would wear and something Belle would wear in Beauty and the Beast. What a bizarre combination. I loved it. It’s so un-Wednesday, but that’s also a part of this musical. Wednesday is discovering other parts of herself.
It’s Addams-light, and it’s most definitely a treat for the entire family.
Review
7.6
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Story7.4Acting7.4Set & Design7.6Costumes7.8Entertainment8
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Review
7.6
Overall
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Story7.4
Acting7.4
Set & Design7.6
Costumes7.8
Entertainment8
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Note: Tango De Amor has a nice little dance segment near the end of the play from Juliet Fischer (Morticia Addams and Patrick Brannelly (Gomez Addams).
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Last modified: October 30, 2026
WOW!! This was a great production and I loved seeing it with my family LOL It was super funny and…