Who's to say what's normal? It's a subjective term whose definition can vary significantly depending on one's perspective. In “The Addams Family,” the popular musical based on the cartoons of Charles Addams, the television series and big-screen films, Morticia says “normal is an illusion.”

The cast of the national touring production of "The Addams Family." Photo by Jeremy Daniel Photo by Jeremy Daniel

That's not surprising given her family's circumstances. Horrified when she gets a bouquet of yellow roses, she immediately snips off the buds. Her children, Wednesday and Pugsley, get their kicks by torturing each other. And Uncle Fester has romantic feelings for the moon.

So when Wednesday announces she's engaged to a “normal” boy, the whole idea of “conforming to a type, standard or regular pattern” (Webster's definition) seems pretty useless. That's the premise behind this musical, one whose plot recycles many elements from “La Cage Aux Folles.”

Disheartened by the tepid reviews that greeted the Broadway production, the show's creative team revised the musical considerably before sending it on the road. It still has its flaws, but you'd have to be a real Grinch not to laugh at some of its ridiculous implausibilities.

One of the touring production's obvious strengths is its cast, from a gleefully passionate Gomez and his seductive wife Morticia to a precocious Pugsley and a hulking Lurch. There are also brief appearances by Cousin Itt and the disembodied hand known as Thing.

The show's conflict occurs when Wednesday asks her father to keep her engagement to Lucas a secret. Gomez reluctantly agrees, and that's where the trouble begins. The situation escalates when Wednesday's fiance and his parents arrive for dinner with the Addamses.

It's tempting to point out some of the show's disarmingly funny situations, but that would be like revealing the murderer to someone who's engrossed in a mystery novel. “The Addams Family” is filled with sight gags and zingers that create ripples of laughter throughout the audience.

As Mal and Alice Beineke, Wednesday's future in-laws, Martin Vidnovic and Crista Moore make the most of their not always well-defined roles. He's a pragmatist who's forgotten why he fell in love with his wife. She's his tightly wound, occasionally insipid wife who speaks in rhyme.

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