Photography from the Beetlejuice Original Broadway Cast Recording
Earlier this month, the Tony nominated and six-year running Broadway show, “Beetlejuice,” came to the Hult Center. The musical opened on April 25, 2019, but had to close not less than a year later due to COVID. Despite this, two years later, in April 2022, the show was back on Broadway! The show is an onstage adaptation of Tim Burton’s classic 90’s movie, “Beetlejuice.”
When asked in an interview with AMERICAN THEATRE about bringing something like “Beetlejuice” to the stage, creator of the show, Alex Timbers, explained, “There are a lot of movies being made into musicals, and I think as a theatremaker you have to feel really passionate about how and why something needs to be told on a stage.” In the same interview, Timbers discussed approaching Broadway producer Kevin McCormick about bringing the movie on stage. Timbers expressed his relief when McCormick was on board with an idea as bold as this, saying, “Kevin was incredibly supportive, and he wasn’t beholden to recreating the movie onstage and really embraced the idea of adaptation.”
While adapted from the movie, the musical does stray away in some small aspects of the story. The show begins with the death of a married couple, Adam and Barbara Maitland, after being electrocuted in their own home. Their death leaves their house unattended, resulting in the Deetz’s taking over. Lydia Deetz, the daughter of the family, yearns for their old house as it is the closest she can feel to her recently deceased mother. The story then follows Lydia, working alongside the Maitlands and Beetlejuice, to get her family out and to return to her old house.
While the show may stray away from the original source material, the soul and love in the original movie are surely present. The musical even includes famous songs from the movie such as, “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)” and “Jump in the Line.” That being said, the original songs from the musical are just as catchy and memorable, with the most popular being, “The Whole ‘Being Dead’ Thing,” “Dead Mom,” and “That Beautiful Sound.”
It’s not just the songs though that are to “die” for. The set designs, such as the main house of the Deetz’s, are magnificent too. For the show’s two hour duration, you truly believe it to be an actual house with actual history – it even includes the massive sand worm from the movie, which is almost as huge as the stage! Finally, the costumes of all the characters and extras are beautifully done, especially with the main two characters, Lydia and Beetlejuice himself. Even the dozen extra Beetlejuices that come on stage have wonderful costumes!
The atmosphere and the overall soul of the musical draw you in instantly, and keeps you on the hook the whole time. With the frequent 4th wall breaks by Beetlejuice, the amazing acting between songs, and the dancing all make “Beetlejuice” a unique and fun show to watch. Whenever you are able to see it, I highly recommend going out and putting yourself in the world of “Beetlejuice!”