Before there was the TV Show, before there was the movie, before there was the Broadway play, there was Charles Addams and his brilliant cartoons for The New Yorker, featuring a ghoulish family that somehow, stripping away the creepiness, seemed typically American. The Broadway musical, starring Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth, has opened on Broadway. But for purists, Addams’ cartoons remain the best way to view the antics and humor of this strange but loveable family.

Charles Addams’s New York, now on exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York, showcases the original artwork of this legendary cartoonist. While the cartoons on exhibit cover many subjects, there is a special section devoted to The Addams Family.

So before you see the play (our review in Playing Around) or view the movie or one of the TV shows (see Filming Around), visit the Museum of the City of New York to see how it all began.

Charles Addams’s New York
Through June 8, 2010
Museum of the City of New York
1220 Fifth Avenue
212-534-1672
www.mcny.org