Full Disclosure: The Gateway's "The Addams Family" is a Smash Hit!

Snap your fingers! "The Addams Family Musical" plays to packed houses at The Gateway Playhouse, so drop everything and get tickets!

Saturday night's audience buzzed with excitement as the lights dimmed, the curtain remained mysteriously closed, and a first-rate orchestra, led by the talented Musical Director Andrew Haile Austin, played the overture. A moment later, explosive laughter filled the theatre when the disembodied hand known as "Thing" scurried across the front of the stage.

Anticipation grew, the curtain opened, and the ghoulishly dressed Addams Family stood upstage, regaling in the intoxicating smell of the graveyard. Broadway veteran Jim Borstelmann rocked the role of Uncle Fester, the show's fourth-wall-breaking narrator and devoted selenophile. When feisty Uncle Fester ritualistically danced on graves and conjured six dead ancestors from the crypt, the audience knew they were in for a spooky and altogether ooky good time.

Before seeing "The Addams Family Musical," I thought this show would be best staged during Halloween. However, the storyline is all about love, making it the perfect Goth Valentine's treat for the whole family. When Borstelmann belted out "But Love," with its catchy lyrics, "Let's not talk about anything else but love," that jazzy show tune set the amorous mood of this creepy, kooky musical rom-com.

Since 1938, when Charles Addams first introduced his wickedly wacky characters in his single-panel cartoons in The New Yorker, people from all walks of life have been enthralled with the eerie eccentricities of the Addams Family. In the mid-1960s, Addams' cartoon creation inspired the ABC black-and-white sitcom starring John Astin as Gomez and Carolyn Jones as Morticia. In the 1990s, Addams' beloved characters resurrected on the big screen with "The Addams Family" and the sequel, "Addams Family Values," starring Christopher Lloyd, Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia, and Christina Ricci. Two other films, "The Addams Family" and "The Addams Family 2," opened in 2019 and 2021. A supernatural mystery comedy series, "Wednesday," starring Jenna Ortega, currently airs on Netflix.

In 2010, "The Addams Family Musical" opened on Broadway, starring Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth. With a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice and music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa, this dark musical comedy revolves around the grown-up Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, and her desire to wed a sweet, smart young man from Ohio. The time has come for her boyfriend and his "normal" parents to meet Wednesday's family. Think the "Odd Couple" meets "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," and you know the evening is ripe for high-voltage tension, plenty of belly laughs, and an abundance of gallows humor gimmicks.

Aaron De Jesus commanded the stage as Gomez Addams, the stylish, charming, but ghoulish head of the Addams family. De Jesus has powerhouse vocals, which he demonstrated throughout the show. His captivating solos, "Trapped" and "Happy Sad," were two of the show's high points.

Jennifer Byrne delivered a bewitching performance as Gomez's sophisticated wife and the matriarch of the Addams clan. I loved watching Byrne slither across the stage, dressed to kill in Morticia's signature skin-tight dress with a plunging neckline "cut down to Venezuela." The audience laughed when Byrne regally descended the stairs, donning a June Cleaver crisp white apron. The standout song, "Just Around the Corner," with its haunting lyrics, was the perfect vehicle for Byrne to showcase her incredible vocal range. Watching De Jesus and Byrne perform their sensuous "Tango De Amor," joined by the dancing Ancestors, was worth the price of admission.

The part of Wednesday calls for a strong actor whose fierce facial expressions and body language can reveal her dark side and a deadpan comic who can convincingly deliver sardonic lines. Remarkably, Malia Monk's passionate portrayal of Wednesday fits that bill. Jared Goodwin gave a note-worthy performance as Wednesday's love interest, Lucas Beineke, and the onstage chemistry between Monk and Goodwin was palatable.

Gil Brady gave a nuanced performance as Mal Beineke, Lucas's uptight, control-freak father. Broadway star Crystal Kellogg aced the role of Alice Beineke, a people-pleasing, misunderstood wife and dutiful mother who speaks in annoying rhymes. When Alice accidentally ingests a potion that takes "the lid off your id," Kellogg rips loose and sings her heart out during her sensational solo "Waiting." Monk, Goodwin, Brady, and Kellogg's stellar vocals held the audience spellbound with their heartfelt delivery of the love song "Crazier than You."

Sydia Cedeño, a natural-born comic, received some of the biggest laughs of the evening with her spot-on performance as Grandma, a woman with tricks up her sleeve and a wicked sense of humor. As the Frankenstein-like butler, Lurch, Ellis Gage stole the show every time he let out one of his long, guttural "Ughhhs." Gage amazed the audience with his outstanding vocals during the showstopping number "Move Toward the Darkness."

Rivers O'Neal and Asher King share the role of Pugsley. The performance I attended featured King, a long-time student at the Gateway Acting School. All that theatrical training was not in vain since King gave a killer performance as Pugsley Addams, the mischievous prankster passionate about explosives. King showcased his vocals during the woeful tune "What If," where Pugsley laments how terrible life would be if his big sister, Wednesday, never tortured him anymore.

The extraordinarily talented ensemble of ghostly Ancestors, who serve as a Greek Chorus, includes Kelly MacMillan, Jose Contreras, Keira Ballan, Jorge Echeverria, Jade Milam, Chance Ingalls, Juliana Andrea Betancur, and Erik Daughterman.

Dustin Lawson's dramatic gothic makeup and outstanding wig and costume designs enhanced the musical's macabre mood. Under Keith Andrews' astute direction, the entire cast delivered award-worthy performances, and his eclectic choreography, featuring a line dance, bunny hop, twist, tango, a chorus line, and vaudevillian steps, added to the overall success of this stellar production.

Keep your eyes open for Cousin Itt's appearance! Charles Addams' wacky and wonderful characters have been haunting people for almost 100 years, so with that ghoulish guarantee, go see this "to die for" musical. To purchase tickets, contact the Box Office at 631-286-1133 or visit www.TheGateway.org.

Cindi Sansone-Braff is an award-winning playwright. She has a BFA in Theatre from UCONN and is a member of the Dramatists Guild. She is the author of "Grant Me a Higher Love," "Why Good People Can't Leave Bad Relationships," and "Confessions of a Reluctant Long Island Psychic." Her full-length Music Drama, "Beethoven, The Man, The Myth, The Music," is published by Next Stage Press. www.Grantmeahigherlove.com.