The Addams Family to close on 31 Dec 2011

The Broadway musical comedy The Addams Family will play its final performance on 31 Dec 2011, after 725 performances and 34 previews.

Producers Stuart Oken and Roy Furman said, "We are immensely proud of the run The Addams Family will have had in Chicago - Where it had a pre-Broadway eight-week try out - and New York, and deeply grateful to our entire Addams 'family' for making it possible - the writers, creative team, the Tee and Charles Addams Foundation, the cast and the entire production organization. While the show's Broadway run is coming to an end, we look forward to having audiences around the country and the world embrace The Addams Family as enthusiastically as they have on Broadway."

The Addams Family opened at Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on 8 Apr 2010, following previews from 8 Apr 2010, it was booking through to 28 Jan 2012.

The musical opened to mostly poor reviews: Ghastly (NY Times); Half-baked (NY Daily News); Watered down (NY Post); "More of a comfortable than a brilliant Broadway experience." (Newsroom Jersey).

Through the critics did not praise the production, the show's original principal leading cast. Nathan Lane as 'Gomez' and Bebe Neuwirth as 'Morticia,' the show still did well at the box office, selling more than $1million worth of tickets in it's first year. However, it seems the production did not recoup its costs, with producer Stuart Oken telling Variety, in May 2011, that the show was, "about two-thirds of the way toward recoupment.

Storm clouds are gathering over The Addams Family manse. Daughter Wednesday, now 18, is experiencing a sensation that surprises and disgusts her - caring about another person. Young Pugsley, jealous of his sister's attention, begs her to keep torturing him, severely, while mother Morticia, conflicted over her daughter's lurch into womanhood, fears being upstaged and discarded.... like yesterday's road kill. All the while, father Gomez - master of the revels, mischievous and oblivious as ever - would prefer everything and everyone remain as it is. But when outsiders come to dinner, the events of one night will change forever this famously macabre family - a family so very different from your own...or maybe not.

Based on the bizarre and beloved family of characters created by legendary cartoonist Charles Addams, The Addams Family features a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, and music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa.

The production is directed and designed (sets and costumes) by Phelim McDermott and Julian Crouch, with creative consultation by Jerry Zaks and choreography by Sergio Trujillo. Lighting design is by Natasha Katz, sound design is by Acme Sound Partners and puppetry is by Basil Twist.

The Addams Family currently stars Roger Rees (Gomez), Brooke Shields (Morticia), Brad Oscar (Uncle Fester), Rachel Potter (Wednesday), Jackie Hoffman (Grandmama), Zachary James (Lurch), Adam Riegler (Pugsley), Heidi Blickenstaff (Alice Beineke), Adam Grupper (Mal Beineker) and Jesse Swenson (Lucas Beineke).

The show is produced on Broadway by Stuart Oken, Roy Furman, Michael Leavitt, Five Cent Prods., Stephen Schuler, Decca Theatricals, Scott M. Delman, Stuart Ditsky, Terry Allen Kramer, Stephanie P. McClelland, James L. Nederlander, Eva Price, Jam Theatricals/Mary Lu Roffe, Pittsburgh CLO/Gutterman-Swinsky, Vivek Tiwary/Gary Kaplan, The Weinstein Co./Clarence, LLC and Adam Zotovich/Tribe Theatricals, by special arrangement with Elephant Eye Theatrical.