THE ADDAMS FAMILY Dutch premiere

The Addams Goes Dutch

One of the most acclaimed international productions closes on March 31st. Produced by TEC Entertainment and directed by Paul Eenens, the Dutch premiere of THE ADDAMS FAMILY has been taking the Netherlands by storm for the past five months. The production started picking up leads of five star reviews from severally leading publications including De Volkskrant, heralded as the paper of record in the Netherlands. The show was described as love letter to all things Addams Family and the Dutch theatrical community offered gifts of their love, including 11 Dutch Musical nominations (the country’s equivalent of the Tonys® or Oliviers®). Six of the nominations were for the performances alone with 5 additional nominations for design, translation, direction, and Best Musical.

It was also one of our favorites from the past year as well. The look and style of this translation honors the hallmarks we associate with the Addams Family from Charles Addam’s original drawings to the original Broadway production. Gomez keeps his signature mustache, Wednesday dons her pigtails and Peter Pan collar, and Uncle Fester is still as described, “bald, fat man of indeterminate sexuality.” However, it brings it’s own macabre flourishes that any Addams aficionado will appreciate.

 

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We shared some photos of the production on our Instagram feed back in December. I particularly love their take on the ancestors’ appearance. Instead of the traditional “sheet white” ghosts, Eenens and his design team incorporated the Addams gothic black and blood red into the costumes. Going the extra mile, they had all the ancestors wear contact lenses to give them a truly otherworldly feel. The ensemble for this production had inspired a lovely piece of fan art that was shared both on the show’s instagram and ours.

 

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If that wasn’t enough, here are some wonderfully excerpts of this continental production in action. I don’t speak Dutch but I know exactly what’s going because of how iconic these characters are and how lovingly the actors portray them.

Addams Sing-a-Long

Dutch Musical Excerpt

The production is ended on a high note. At the Dutch Musical Awards on January 24th, the show collected the prize for Best Musical, along with awards for translation and directing. If you’re not familiar with this audience favorite, now’s a great time to buy a digital perusal of this box office smash.