Strictly Come Dancing: Sheffield Lyceum Addams Family musical star role for Joanne Clifton
and live on Freeview channel 276
Joanne and Cameron Blakely star as Gomez and Morticia Addams in the show, which comes to the Lyceum on November 23-27. Here, they talk about the show and being back on stage.
What’s in store for audiences who come see The Addams Family?
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Hide AdCameron: A lot of quirkiness, a lot of laughs and a lot of miscommunication. In a way it’s like a dark farce. And I think everyone needs a bit of escapism at the moment, after the year and a half we’ve all had, and this show really provides that.
Joanne: It’s a feel-good, fun, laugh-out-loud family show. Audiences know the characters, they know the world of The Addams Family from the TV show and films but there are some surprises in store. And it’s really, really funny. The feel-good factor is something everyone is craving after what everyone’s been through.
How did you keep yourselves busy during the last year and a half?
Joanne: Me, Katya Jones from Strictly and my friend Sasha Latoya created an online motivational course called The Beyond Lockdown Empire, which went so well we turned it into a book. I continued working on a musical I’m writing with Ben Adams called Bloody Nora. I also did dance classes on Zoom, podcasts, lots of things - I kept myself really busy because I’m not good at taking time off.
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Hide AdCameron: I ended up using my driving skills to do Argos deliveries for a while which was jolly good fun. I really enjoy driving so I thought ‘How can I at least try and make a bit of money out of it?’
What are you most looking forward to about being back on stage?
Cameron: Just the thrill of doing what you’re trained to do, your main vocation, and to connect with a crowd again - knowing that you’re hopefully making people happy and making them laugh. It’s also going to be great seeing other parts of the country because we were all sort of in enforced prison mode for such a long time.
How can I get tickets for The Addams Family Musical at Sheffield Lyceum?
Joanne: I can’t wait for the buzz of having a live audience again. I love film acting as well but the live aspect of theatre for me is so thrilling - the fact that anything could go wrong at any point, or that someone could do something different on stage and you have to react to it, or how audiences react to different things in different parts of the country.
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Hide AdCan you recall when you first encountered The Addams Family?
Cameron: I think it was the first movie, starring Raoul Julia and Anjelica Huston. I’d grown up knowing about The Addams Family but I was more the age group of The Munsters.
Joanne: Me and my brother Kevin used to watch it on TV when we were kids and we loved the movies. I’m a big fan and I was so happy when I got this job I even did a painting of Morticia.
It began life as a cartoon in the 1930s, became a TV show in the 1960s, a film franchise in the 1990s and a musical in the noughties. Why do you think it has endured for so long?
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Hide AdJoanne: It’s fun to see this family who are not the happy-go-lucky Disneyworld-ish model American family. They’re not typical in any way and it’s really fun to watch how they behave compared to your average TV or movie family.
Cameron: People inherently like Halloween and the macabre, plus there’s this mishmash of very odd characters in the same family. I think viewers are fascinated by the juxtaposition of light and darkness and how it’s completely flipped. It’s just fascinating and there’s so much dark humour you can get out of that.
Does Sheffield Lyceum Theatre have any significance for you?
Cameron: It’s a lovely theatre in a lovely city. And being in Yorkshire, there are some great places you can escape to in the countryside.
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Hide AdJoanne: I did panto there a couple of years ago. It was Cinderella and I was the Fairy Godmother. It was great fun and I’ve been to Sheffield many times. I absolutely love it. I love the city, the people and the theatre itself.
Box office: go to sheffieldtheatres.co.uk, visit the theatre or call 0114 2149 6000.