Tomorrow night (Tuesday), the gates of the family crypt creak open as The Addams Family officially opens at Hayes Theatre, inviting Sydney audiences to embrace the delightfully dreadful, gloriously gothic musical comedy that proves every family has its skeletons.
After weeks of raising the dead (and rehearsing), the cast is ready to unleash a production that’s wickedly funny, hauntingly heartfelt, and just the right amount of unhinged.
At the heart of this gloriously gothic household stands Morticia Addams, embodied by double Helpmann Award–nominated triple threat Erika Heynatz (Legally Blonde, Menopause the Musical), whose elegance is as sharp as her wit.
Opposite her, the ardently devoted Gomez Addams finds his match in acclaimed Filipino-Australian performer Marcus Rivera (Miss Saigon, City of Angels), promising a romance that burns as brightly as it does bizarrely.
Emerging from the shadows, Wednesday Addams—the ultimate princess of darkness – will be brought chillingly to life by recent NIDA graduate Jenny Guigayoma (Nine, Peter Pan). Meanwhile, her delightfully devious younger brother Pugsley takes mischievous form in Georgia Oom (Werkaholics, Footloose), whose penchant for chaos keeps the household on edge.
Hovering somewhere between the strange and the sublime, Uncle Fester will be ignited by the electrifying Evan Lever (The Normal Heart, Muriel’s Wedding), guiding the story with peculiar charm.
Adding fuel to the family fire, Deborah Galanos (The Boomkak Panto, Stop Girl) unleashes her comic prowess as the unapologetically anarchic Grandmama. Towering – both in stature and presence – Elliot Aitken makes his professional debut as the ever-loyal, ever-lurking Lurch.
In a delicious twist of fate, Teagan Wouters (Bonnie & Clyde, The Wedding Singer), who originated the role of Wednesday in the original Australian production, returns to the Addams universe as Alice Beineke – a woman on the brink of polite society collapse.
Her tightly wound husband Mal Beineke will be played by Rory O’Keeffe (HMS Pinafore, Playing Beatie Bow), while their seemingly “normal” son Lucas – harbouring a secret of his own – comes to life through First Nations performer Alexander Tye (Once on This Island, Footloose The Musical).
Completing this cryptic clan are the Addams ancestors, rising from beyond in the forms of Mae Li Cowell, Nathan Fernandez, Jayden Prelc and Paloma Renouf, with Kayla Ingle-Olson and Joey Phyland lurking in the wings as swings.
Directed by Julia Robertson (The Producers, Metropolis), with musical supervision by Zara Stanton (Dear Evan Hansen, In The Heights) and choreography by Shannon Burns (Gutenberg! The Musical, The Producers), this bold new production will push boundaries and breathe new (after)life into a beloved classic.
The unsettlingly enchanting musical comedy from Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, writers of the multi award-winning hit musical Jersey Boys, with music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa, will haunt you in the most delightfully spooky way.
When Wednesday Addams, the ultimate gothic outsider, falls for a perfectly “normal” boy, everything the Addams family holds dear is turned upside down. As the two families meet for one fateful evening, secrets are revealed, boundaries are tested, and chaos is delightfully unleashed. With an extraordinary original score and a story to die for, The Addams Family promises a wickedly entertaining night for audiences of all persuasions.
The Addams Family
Hayes Theatre Co, 19 Greenknowe Avenue, Elizabeth Bay
Season continues to 9 August 2026
Information and Bookings: www.hayestheatre.com.au
Image: The Company of The Addams Family – photo by James Reiser