LAST year Holyrood Academy in Chard blew us all away with a stunning production of ‘Grease’; all bright colours, tuneful songs and exuberant dance numbers.

This year’s production of ‘The Addams Family’ was an ambitious choice; with monochrome tones, complex songs and more subdued choreography.

However, the result was impressive, due in large part to the talented principals who all gave mature and confident performances.

As Morticia Ava Larcombe was outstanding; always poised, she sang and moved with grace and elegance and was well matched in Billy Speed’s equally striking performance as husband Gomez.

Speed was assured throughout, never letting his Spanish accent drop, even during his songs, and when performing together the pair were a formidable and dynamic duo.

Flora Godfrey presented us with a delightfully petulant and wilful Wednesday in love (and hate) with her ‘normal’ boyfriend Lucas (Charlie Huckett a convincing and spirited all-American boy).

I enjoyed Martha Godfrey and Toby Peacock as Alice and Mal, the hapless parents invited to meet the bizarre Addams Family in their creepy house.

Martha Godfrey’s Alice was beautifully portrayed as empty-headed, spouting silly rhymes to keep herself sane until ‘The Game’ restored her to the lovely passionate personality she’d once been.

Good performances too from Molly Toogood as jealous but adoring little brother Pugsley (heavily into torture), Lauren Miller as moon-loving, eccentric Uncle Fester and Meg Pike as mad old Grandma.

Em Mitchell’s Lurch remained silently in character throughout. In and around these principal players was the ensemble of ghosts and ghouls, all dressed in white, who moved as one like a protean presence, shifting silently or as backing vocals, like a Greek chorus to the action unfolding on stage.

I loved the tableau which opened Act ll, using the chorus as stage set.

What a delight to have a live orchestra (musical direction by Nat Spiller) to accompany most of the musical numbers, few of which were easy to perform so well done to the company for rising to the challenge.

As always this was a hugely collaborative work, including students and staff in all areas of expertise from lighting and sound to set design and props, from choreography to stage crew and all the other bits in between.

A brave choice from directors Jenny Lowe and Kat Wilsher, but a very successful result, congratulations to all.

Written by Helen Rose