A First Look at BEETLEJUICE THE MUSICAL

In this horror comedy based on the 1988 film by Tim Burton, Barbara and Adam Maitland, a recently deceased couple, wake up as ghosts and meet the mischievous bio-exorcist Betelgeuse (pronounced Beetlejuice), who offers to help them rid their home of its new occupants, the Deetzes. But the Maitlands find themselves growing fond of the young death-obsessed Lydia Deetz, just as Beetlejuice begins taking a special interest in her…

The ghost (and the show) with the most

From pyrotechnics and levitation to a giant sandworm to the optical illusions that make up the terrifying void of the Netherworld, Beetlejuice the Musical is full of visually stunning and heart-stopping spectacle. With all the stage magic that’s gone into capturing the film’s commitment to the bizarre and grotesque, it feels like the perfect story for the theatre.

But it’s not just the special effects that give the show its sense of flair. It’s filled with flamboyant, colourful, energetic musical numbers, featuring ensembles of umbrella-twirling funeral mourners and bobble-headed dancing skeletons and an eclectic motley of ghosts singing about how they died. Each song is entertainingly witty and self-aware about its own theatricality, from the fourth wall smashing The Whole ‘Being Dead’ Thing that sets the tone for the musical, to the frenetically chaotic Day-O (The Banana Boat Song), to the hilarious Creepy Old Guy, which pokes fun at the idea of Lydia and Beetlejuice getting married.

Horror meets comedy

Tonally, the musical offers the perfect mishmash of spine-tingling horror, jump scares, and a sense of the macabre and grotesque with slapstick comedy, witty one-liners, and a gleefully madcap and zany sense of chaos, which play off each other charmingly.

The funniest moments are when Beetlejuice, who acts as both narrator and circus ringleader of the show, breaks the fourth wall to address the audience, mocking us for laughing at the show’s darker moments or making a self-deprecating comment before pointing at an audience member and saying “this guy knows what I’m talking about”. The meta humour also plays out in asides aimed at getting laughs out of modern audiences, from an anecdote about P Diddy’s baby oil to a crack about only burning books “that turn American children gay.” British audiences will undoubtedly love this gallows style of humour.

The cast

Even taking all that aside, the cast alone would make this show worth watching. Hannah Nordberg as Lydia Deetz channels Winona Ryder’s deadpan goth girl persona while also bringing a raw, poignant vulnerability to the character, capped off with a phenomenal voice. David Hunter and Chelsea Halfpenny as Adam and Barbara Maitland are endearingly awkward and earnest as the hapless ghostly couple. Aimie Atkinson steals every scene as Delia, whose New Age woo and spaciness hides a slightly unhinged insecurity. And of course, David Fynn steps mightily into both Alex Brightman and Michael Keaton’s shoes as the new Beetlejuice, from the iconic raspy growl to the manic physicality to the on-point comedic timing with which he delivers every one-liner.

The characters of Beetlejuice are over-the-top, flamboyant, even cartoonish, and the cast does a brilliant job of capturing their eccentricity while making them feel endearing.

The cast of Beetlejuice the Musical. Photo by Matt Crockett.

The Tim Burton of it all

The musical makes several changes to Tim Burton’s original film, including a large focus on Lydia’s grief over her mother’s death. Beetlejuice pokes fun at these changes early on, saying mockingly, “such a bold departure from the original source material.”

But what it also does is stay true to the aesthetics and tone of the film. From the green and purple lighting flashing through the auditorium to William Ivey Long’s colourful costume design that gives each character their unique look, every detail is designed to echo Burton’s instantly recognisable signature style that combines gothic horror with a sense of childlike wonder.

David Korrins’ set is dynamic, with the house springing to life between scenes, its decor shifting depending on its current owner, from the Maitlands’ cheerful clutter to the Deetzes’s dark-toned austerity to Beetlejuice’s psychedelic eclecticism. The backdrop, with the eerie painted silhouette of the house and the full moon, and the occasional projection of cartoonish bats, is reminiscent of Burton’s other works, such as Corpse Bride and Coraline.

Why do we love Beetlejuice?

Delightfully, the audience at the Prince Edward Theatre was filled with fans cosplaying as Beetlejuice, a clear reminder that the film hasn’t lost its cult following in the last nearly-thirty years, and that same love translated easily to the musical. But why has Beetlejuice remained so culturally relevant after all this time?

As the second musical number tells us, this is “a show about death” - but it’s one that pokes fun at death, turning it from something we all inevitably fear to something we can laugh at. At the core of the zany plot is the grief of losing a parent, and the struggle to come to terms with the daunting and mysterious concept of death itself - things many of us can relate to. The show treats this with its signature sly irreverence, but also with a poignancy that works well with the seamless blend of horror and comedy, in a way that feels very human.

If all this has convinced you to go and see Beetlejuice, hurry up and grab your tickets! And in the meantime, you can also check out our feature on everything you need to know about Beetlejuice to get you fully hyped for this one-of-a-kind show.

Beetlejuice the Musical Tickets