In April last year, Julia Robertson directed a deliciously entertaining production of Mel Brooks’ musical The Producers at the Hayes Theatre Co., presented by Joshua Robson Productions. Ingeniously staged at the intimate Sydney venue, it was a sold-out hit.

The Addams Family, presented by Joshua Robson Productions at the Hayes Theatre Co. Photo © James Reiser

Robertson has now returned to the Hayes to direct another musical comedy for Robson, this time The Addams Family – a riskier undertaking than The Producers, which is a more admired show – and once again she and her creative team have delivered another brilliantly conceived production, breathing fresh life into the show.

Featuring music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa, with a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, The Addams Family spins a story around the kooky, spooky characters from Charles Addams’ gleefully macabre cartoons, first conceived in 1938, which inspired the 1960s television series and two films.

Wednesday Addams, the 18-year-old daughter of Gomez and Morticia, has fallen in love with Lucas Beineke, a decent boy from a conservative, middle-class family. Inviting Lucas and his parents to dinner, she begs her...