Cerritos Center For The Performing Arts
June 7, 2025
Here we go with part one of a double header. Somehow I bought tickets for 2 shows on the same day. I know, I know – check the calendar before you buy. Still, it happens. I bought these tickets a LONG time ago through Today Tix. I’m sure I got a deal. I remember asking Julie if she wanted to go see Addam’s Family for my birthday but she thought I meant we were seeing this show on my actual birthday. So when she asked me to buy the other tickets she thought this date was free and I didn’t double check.
The second part of this twofer was the Hollywood Bowl and getting from Cerritos to the Hollywood Bowl could be arduous, so what was supposed to be a leisurely afternoon of seeing a show and getting pie turned into a bit of a dash, but we made it to both so all’s well that ends well. I ate a quick sandwich before leaving and stopped at Costco for gas on the way. Still made it with plenty of time to pick up my tickets at will call and use the bathroom before the show. We saw a school bus show up and gave each other “uh oh” looks before going into the theater. This time I didn’t get top of the balcony seats. We were still pretty high up in the mezzanine, but it was okay. This venue encourages theatergoers to view the program with a QR code, but ushers found us a few color printouts complete with staples in the upper left hand corner.
This was the first time either of us had seen this show but we are big fans of the movies and figured we’d enjoy it. The opening scene is set in the graveyard where the Addams are summoning all of their ancestors out of the family crypt. Once they’re out, Fester locks the door and tells them that Wednesday is growing up and has met a boy and he needs their help to make sure Wednesday doesn’t get her heart broken. Predictably, the boy is a nice normal boy from a nice normal family. The plot centers around the normal family coming to the Addams house for dinner so the parents can meet each other. Hilarity ensues. They made it partway through the second song when the kids from the bus were shown into the theater. Many of them were seated in our row but one section to the left. They made an awful racket when entering and it was super distracting. I’m all in favor of allowing school kids the opportunity to see a show, but not to the detriment of paying theatergoers (even if my tickets were discounted, they were not free!). I couldn’t believe the ushers didn’t wait for a break to bring them all in. Not that it would have mattered much because they took a really long time to find their seats. So they finally got settled and it became clear that it was a group of special needs kids. The one closest to me began moaning very loudly. Ordinarily I would have been very annoyed by that, but it was the Addams Family, so it kinda worked.
The cast was all very accomplished as you would expect from a national tour, although it’s the first national tour for many of them. Pugsley, Lurch, and Grandma stole the show. Renee Kathleen Koher played Morticia more like Carolyn Jones than Angelica Houston. The staging and music were fine. No super memorable songs that stuck in my head. Overall an enjoyable afternoon. If you like the Addams Family, you’ll enjoy the musical and will enjoy this production.
The Cerritos Performing Arts Center is an easy venue to get to with ample free parking. There are two entrances, so if you need to pick up at will call, be sure to park closer to the southeast side or you’ll need to walk all the way around the building. After the show I was back in my car and on my way to the freeway lickety-split.