Sir William Welles’ Nocturnal Diary

Greetings my dear Gothlings!I will be honest with you and start off by stating that when I saw the first televised ad for the Addams Family musical, I did what any typical self-respecting Goth would do…I rolled my eyes to the skies and uttered: “Oh crap! Let’s see how mainstream Broadway will manage to fuck this up for us,” to myself. Then, after some research I learned that playing Morticia and Gomez Addams were none other than Bebe Neuwirth and Nathan Lane! Then I was intrigued…that’s a pretty impressive leading cast…hmmm…this might have some potential after all. After the previews had come and gone, and well after opening night, I had the opportunity to score the last two seats for the Tuesday, April 27^th performance. I had read some reviews and asked the opinions from a few people who had seen it. Let’s just say that the reviews were all mixed. But I had to see this for myself. I surprised a very dear friend who is very close to my heart with the tickets as we arrived to theater. She didn’t even know there was even an Addams Family musical playing since she was in from out of town. The theater was packed and filled with excitement…in we went…

Ok…first off, 98% of theater-goers can be categorized into two distinct types: tourists and old people! My friend was appropriately dressed in a long black dress much like Morticia would wear, and I, in a black and white pin-striped suit…looking very Gomez-y. Needless to say, we were making all the people around us in our seating section rather nervous and curious. Many eyes were upon us. But truthfully (rant coming up), we were the best dressed people in the entire audience. I mean, outside from some old people dressed in what old people consider dressed up, most of these people looked like they were waiting to catch a flight at the airport bound for the Bahamas!!! Here you have an opportunity to see a Broadway show, on Times Square, the cross-roads of the World in an old Victorian styled theater, and you show up in jeans and a Polo shirt!?!?!?! WTF?!?! Take some pride in yourself! Shit…I get dressed up just to take a shower! *pant*pant*pant*…but I digress…moving on…We take our seats, row W, seat number 10 & 12, thank you very much…why theaters don’t believe in odd numbers, I’ll never know…and we wait for the show to start. The orchestra starts to play the overture…the lights dim…curtains rise…and we are faced with the entire Addams Family, in a cemetery, like in a group photo, staring back at us…thunderous applause! Now, I’m not going to spell you out every number in detail…don’t want to spoil it for you, however, you should be forewarned of the plot and some vital details. In this Addams Family (set in their house in the middle of New York City’s Central Park…Why? Don’t know) Wednesday Addams (played by Krysta Rodriguez)is now 18 years old and has fallen in love with some mundane preppie poet from Ohio (insert Ohio joke here), and the entire musical is centered around a “normal” meet-and-greet-of-the-families-dinner that goes very “abnormal.” Wednesday is conflicted by her macabre ways and a new “sunny” outlook on life through the eyes of love. Love…lots of love…major theme here is LOVE!!! Love, love, love, love, love, and more…love.Addams Family movie…now there is a memorable song! But aside from the wonderful acting from the entire cast, the real star of the show is the choreography of the sets. The main curtain half rises and falls to direct you from scene to scene, staircases are moved and pivoted about themselves to carry you from room to room…then…suddenly you are outside…then back in…I’ve never seen such a wondrous scenic ballet since “The Phantom of the Opera.”  The steep ticket price (just about over a hundred each) is well worth it…and you want to know why…the second to last number…the Tango. Bebe Neuwirth (most memorable for playing Fraiser’s emotionless ex-wife on Cheers! and Fraiser) raises her long black dress, into a Gothy mini-skirt of some sort, and thus exposing a pair of delicious legs clad in shiny black thigh highs and garters. For those who know me well, know that I have a fetish for thigh-high stockings and garters on women…drives me loopy! As the audience stares at the stage in awe, I blurt out: “Hell-O!” Meanwhile, Nathan lane, as Gomez says: “Tish! You have legs?” The audience roars with laughter, and for the next few (too quick) minutes, during the tango dance, my eyes are glued to those legs. Holy shit, Morticia Addams never looked hotter. Wait…give me a moment…

Ok…I’m back…where was I…oh yeah…Also, the two characters that really steal the show is Uncle Fester (played by Kevin Chamberlin), and Grandma (played by Jackie Hoffman). They really are hysterical and channel the television show’s characters to perfection. But what I was most impressed with is the philosophy that the Addams Family has on life…it is very Goth…and I quote: “We appreciate death so we can appreciate life.” This is said very early on in the show, and by the end it is the mundane family who is transformed to accept this philosophy of imbracing life through the darkness. Actually, the finale song is “Move toward the Darkness.”In conclusion, save your money and get tickets before Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth move on to other productions. JUST GO!!!

See you in the Dark!
Sir William Welles

Greetings my dear Gothlings!

As many of you may have noticed, on NewGothCity.com’s upcoming events roster, there is a weekly listing for a television show entitled “Demons” that premiered last Saturday (1/2/10) on the obscured BBC-America channel, which, if you don’t know, is a British channel. This show, having only six episodes per season, centers around a teenager’s, Luke, coming to age (and grips) story (do you start to smell a similarity here) as he finds out from his long lost God-Father, now turned mentor, that he is in direct lineage of Abraham Van Helsing, and it is up to Luke (played by a very boy-hunk-attractive Christian Cooke, to lure in the teen female viewers) to continue in his family’s legacy to “Smite” the “Freaks” and “Inhumans,” all the while studying for an exam. Does this sound all a bit confusing? It should…for a 47 minute season opener.

However, much like my favorite para/super-natural show, “Being Human,” also found on BBC-A (I can’t wait for season 2 soon!!!), this show has that certain edgy and independent feel to it making it more raw and believable, rather than the slick production values American series tend to embrace. Don’t get me wrong, Demons does have some good production value…mostly in the lighting. The special effects and character costumes can be a bit laughable at times, as well as some of the dialogue…but you know what? It’s actually fun that way. This show definitely does not take itself seriously…at all! And neither did Being Human. It’s over-the-top at times, yes, but it does have it’s moments. Moreover, the entire season only lasts 6 episodes out in the UK, as opposed to dragging out hour-long shows to 12 or 26 episodes here in the states…in that respect you are getting a better bang for your buck!

My one big problem with Demons was the story’s blatant disregard for the “Freaks.” They could range anywhere from a “level 1″ rat to a “Level 12″ something or other…Goblins, Werewolves, Vampires, etc. are all fair game. The darker characters don’t have much ‘meat’ to them…but this is only episode 1 that I saw, I’m sure like other series of this ilk all the characters shall be better explored, and thus not turn into a simple us vs. them situation. Fingers crossed. 

I urge you to take a look at Demons at least once to create your own opinion of this show. It’s good to broaden your television watching horizons, especially internationally. If you have Time Warner Cable here in the N.Y.C. area you can go to the BBC-A On-Demand channel, on channel 1011, where you can see past episodes for free whenever you want. Also, if you get the chance, watch Being Human…it really is quite good! 

See you in the Dark!
Sir William Welles