The world these days is a scary place. So much so, that it’s comforting to relax at a show where a grown man sings about how the entire audience is going to die. The topic of death is not one that most find all that funny or even easy to digest, but Beetlejuice the Musical turns this entirely on its head. The show is hilarious, the songs are incredibly catchy, and yes, it’s all about death.
If you are familiar with the movie Beetlejuice, the premise is pretty much the same. The story follows the life of Lydia Deetz, and how her mother’s death has affected her. Her father has just moved her out to Connecticut in a house where a couple has recently died.
Along with this, he is having a love affair with Lydia’s life coach he had hired for Lydia’s depressive manner. The couple, who are now living as ghosts, want to kick Lydia, her father and her life coach out. They try to do this with the help of a bio-exorcist, Beetleguese, who is summoned when his named is called three times. Everyday stuff, right? When we are finally introduced to Beetlejuice (also named Beetleguese) though, the conventions of theater seem to disappear. He comments about the songs, interrupts touching moments, and seems to be directly speaking to the audience for a lot of the show. The character has a sort of obnoxious charm that only the best of Broadway could be able to pull off.
I had the privilege of being able to see the entire original Broadway cast when I saw it, and it was one of the most impressive casts I have seen. Alex Brightman, the actor who plays Beetlejuice, is so enthralled to this character, that each decision he makes on stage seems both improvised and carefully rehearsed. Along with this, he speaks -- and sings -- with an incredibly unique voice throughout the entire musical. The voice itself is hard to describe, but it’s impressive to hear, and you could see how he would get sick of doing it eight times a week. In the movie Beetlejuice (1988), this character has less than twenty minutes of screen time, but in the musical, he is the driving force of the entire show. This is not to diminish the role of Lydia, who I say played by Sophia Anne Caruso. Lydia brings out the emotional side of the show and elevates it in a similar way that Winona Ryder did in the movie. She is the person who has just lost her mom, and you can even hear it in her voice. When I saw it, each song she sang had some sort of emotional intensity, and I couldn’t help but start crying. The actress, being only two years older than me, touches audiences every day in a way that I haven’t even seen with seasoned actors. Other featured actors included broadway regulars like Leslie Kritzer as Delia and Ms. Argentina, Rob McClure as Adam Maitland and, of course, Kerry Butler as Barbra Maitland.
As a die-hard Tim Burton fan, I can assure you that this show does the original movie justice. The music is pop-y but gothic, the set is macabre but playful and the words are hilarious, but also meaningful. There are also recreations of famous scenes from the movie, like the singing of Day-O at the important dinner and a giant sandworm puppet that even has its own motif. (I am still very angry that the set did not win the Tony). Unfortunately, there is not a very clear warning for flashing lights. This musical contains a lot of strobe lights and light effects. I, myself, am sensitive to stuff like this and didn’t get much of a warning. This shouldn’t deter anyone from seeing the show though, this is one of the few flaws this show really has. I would highly recommend seeing this show on Broadway if you get the chance. If you don’t, I still recommend listening to this cast album, which contains all of the hilarity and emotion of the show.
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