Beetlejuice, the 1988 film directed by Tim Burton, was a mild success even though it had Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Catherine O’Hara, and Jeffrey Jones. But, over the years, a cult following supported Beetlejuice and the musical version came to life. The musical had a tryout at the National Theatre, Washington, D.C. in October 2018, prior to opening on Broadway at the Winter Garden Theatre on April 25, 2019. It is produced by Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures (a unit of franchise owner Warner Bros.). Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the show played its final performance at the Winter Garden on March 10, 2020. It reopened at the Marquis Theatre on Broadway on April 8, 2022, and closed on January 8, 2023; a US national tour of the production began in December 2022. Two days ago Diane and I saw Beetlejuice: The Musical at the Shay’s Performing Arts Center with a sold-out audience.
With music and lyrics by Eddie Perfect and book by Scott Brown and Anthony King, this version modifies the story concerns a deceased couple who try to haunt the new inhabitants of their former home and call for help from a devious bio-exorcist ghost named Betelgeuse (after the star; the name is pronounced and often spelled “Beetlejuice”). Beetlejuice is summoned by saying his name three times. One of the new inhabitants is a young girl, Lydia, who is dealing with her mother’s death and her neglectful father.
Where the focus in the movie was on the dead couple trying to get their house back, this musical version focuses on Lydia (played by Winona Ryder in the original), a teenager who is grieving over the death of her mother, played by Catherine O’Hara–who was alive the entire movie.
I wasn’t a big fan of the movie and I’m not a big fan of this musical version. Your mileage may vary. GRADE: C
Musical numbers:
| Act I“ Prologue: Invisible” – Lydia and Ensemble The Whole “Being Dead” Thing” – Beetlejuice and Ensemble “Ready, Set, Not Yet” – Adam and Barbara “The Whole “Being Dead” Thing, Pt. 2″ – Beetlejuice and Ensemble “The Whole “Being Dead” Thing, Pt. 3″ – Beetlejuice “Dead Mom” – Lydia “Fright of Their Lives” – Beetlejuice, Adam, Barbara and Ensemble “Ready Set, Not Yet” (reprise) – Barbara and Adam “No Reason” – Delia and Lydia “Invisible” (reprise)/ “On the Roof” – Beetlejuice “Say My Name” – Beetlejuice, Lydia, Barbara and Adam “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)” – Delia, Charles, Maxie, Maxine and Ensemble | Act II “Girl Scout” – Skye “That Beautiful Sound” – Beetlejuice, Lydia and Ensemble “That Beautiful Sound” (reprise) – Beetlejuice and Ensemble “Barbara 2.0” – Barbara and Adam “The Whole “Being Dead” Thing, Pt. 4″ – Beetlejuice† “Good Old Fashioned Wedding” – Beetlejuice “What I Know Now” – Miss Argentina and Ensemble “Home” – Lydia “Creepy Old Guy” – Lydia, Adam, Barbara, Beetlejuice, Charles, Delia and Ensemble” Jump in the Line (Shake, Senora)” / “Dead Mom” (reprise) / “Home” (reprise) / “Day-O” (reprise) – Lydia, Barbara, Adam, Delia and Charles |
I rather liked the film (though it has a rather foolish subtext that rebels such as Lydia are just Aching to be conformists with their own personal outlets, in her case cavorting with friendly ghosts, and no few easy crude jokes–for me, the problem is more in the easiness),; not so sure I’d like this musical version as well as described.
Todd, the focus changes from the dead couple and their ghostly existence to living Lydia who is grieving her mother’s death. Apples and oranges…
Yes, not exactly a Feel-Good reset.
Todd, changing the focus from the ghostly couple to a tormented teenage seems to be marketing move for this musical. There were a lot of young people in attendance.
Yeah, while it wasn’t great we found enough to enjoy in the movie to make it worth a watch. But the show got mediocre reviews and we had no interest in seeing it.
I mean, Catherine O’Hara (even though she was an obnoxious character), Geena David, Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton.
Longterm even at that point media crush Catherine O’Hara (SCTV sweetheart playing mostly boisterous characters) didn’t dissuade, nor did shorter-term media near-crush Davis (from BUFFALO BILL, the Dabney Coleman sitcom). Pity Jeffrey Jones turned out to be actually a creep.
Jeff, the movie version of BEETLEJUICE had a great cast. The musical version has some great singers…but I left without humming any of the songs.
Not a big fan of the movie so I will skip this one should it come here. I hope Diane liked it more.
Patti, Diane loves musicals so she would probably rate this a B+.
And, FWIW, “Beetlejuice” is a mispronunciation, but go fix the world.
Betelgeuse?
Indeed: “Bet-el-geeze”…though the original Arabic was closer to “Yet-el-geeze”…
Or, more clearly, ‘Ber-el-gheeze”…
Och, fumblefingers: “Bet-el-gheeze” (in whar little defense I have, I’m typing in a dimly -lit room on a Chromebook, which has no lighted keyboard and all the letters in Adorable lower-case, so my oft-clumsy touch-typing is having its stumbling way…)