There’s a little movie from 1988 called Beetlejuice. You may have heard of it. Directed by Tim Burton and starring Michael Keaton as the title character, it’s kind of famous. Well, there’s a musical version, one that opened on Broadway in 2019, and guess where it is now on tour.
That’s right. Beetlejuice (the musical, the musical, the musical) is here in Houston, courtesy of Memorial Hermann Broadway at the Hobby Center, and it’s both exactly what you’d expect and nothing at all like you’ve seen.
But first, the story.
Somewhere in New York, teenager Lydia Deetz’s mother dies. Somewhere in Connecticut, married couple Adam and Barbara Maitland find themselves unceremoniously, well, recently deceased, too. When Lydia’s father buys the Maitlands’ former home and moves the two in, Lydia discovers that not only can she see ghost-Adam and ghost-Barbara, but that they have something in common: Lydia wants to go home to New York, and Adam and Barbara want their house back. But there’s an elephant in the room. His name is Beetlejuice, and he has every intention of using this situation to his advantage. Specifically, he needs someone living to say his name three times. Once they do, he’ll be visible to people and, if that seems like a bad thing, it’s because it is.
Because he’s a demon.
As longtime owners of a mock copy of the Handbook for the Recently Deceased will surely recognize (i.e. fans of the film will no doubt notice), the musical is much more a reimagining of Burton’s film than a faithful adaptation. The book, by Scott Brown and Anthony King, takes some big liberties – “What a departure from the source material,” says Beetlejuice in an early meta moment – but the show is all the better for it, balancing heart with humor and crass with sensitivity. It’s a balancing act that director Alex Timbers handles well amidst the chaotic frenzy that is most of the show.
That said, there’s still plenty of nostalgia here, with the production hitting on the film’s most iconic characters, looks, and sounds which, yes, include the Harry Belafonte tunes. I know I, for one, would be rioting if the show didn’t include some bit of “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)” and “Jump in the Line (Shake, Señora).” Eddie Perfect wrote the original music and lyrics for the show and, while the songs certainly serve the story and aren’t bad, per se, there aren’t really any breakout numbers either. Connor Gallagher’s choreography does its best to enhance the fun of the numbers and does, but…Let’s put it this way, I don’t know if you’ll leave humming any tune other than Belafonte’s.
But that’s not really why we’re here. We’re here for Beetlejuice and the demon of the hour does not disappoint.
Is it possible to be a scene-stealer in a show where you play the titular character? Probably not, but Justin Collette certainly owns every second he’s on stage. As “the ghost with the most,” Collette is a naughty fourth-wall breaker with a throaty growl that nods to Michael Keaton’s classic performance and a screaming delivery that is even more reminiscent of (and rivals) the late Sam Kinison. The jokes fly, fast and furious, and Collette’s timing is unmatched – especially when he rides the never-ending waves of the audience’s appreciation. Needless to say, they ate up every bit of Collette’s performance.
Isabella Esler is the heart of the production, balancing out and calming the show with her vulnerability as a young girl dealing with the devastation of losing her mom. It’s impossible not to feel for her when she sings of being invisible, and even more so later during the numbers “Dead Mom” and “Home.” Of course, Esler also puts on a fun performance during the second act’s “Creepy Old Guy” bit.
As the white-bread couple coming into their own post-mortem, Megan McGinnis (Barbara) and Will Burton (Adam) are pretty fun to watch. They rapidly establish themselves and get out their anxieties during “Ready, Set, Not Yet,” and spend much of the rest of the show being harassed by Beetlejuice and bonding with Lydia. And that’s exactly what you want to see from them.
Jesse Sharp makes the believable turn from weirdo-aloof-dad to kind-of-normal, kind-of-understandable dad as Charles. Sarah Litzsinger’s Delia is over-the-top obnoxious, but still somehow likable in the end and that’s skill.
Abe Goldfarb’s Otho with the Toyota Prius is just right in terms of not minding so much when he ends up stuck in a Beetlejuice-designed wacky (and deadly) game show. With a very particular laugh, Kris Roberts’s Maxine Dean certainly catches the eye, but it’s Roberts’s later turn as Juno, an angry old Netherworld worker with a surprising connection to Beetlejuice that makes for a good if unexpected villain.
Special mentions also go out to Jackera Davis as a sweet-voiced Girl Scout named Sky, who opens the second act with an unexpectedly fun number (aptly titled “Girl Scout”) and Hillary Porter’s Miss Argentina, who drops “What I Know Now” with gusto befitting a former beauty queen.
Beetlejuice has an undeniable carnival-like feel, a current of whimsy and irreverence running through the show’s length that is only heightened by scenic designer David Korins. Korins has crafted an ode to Burton with his sets, all conspicuously lit by Kenneth Posner’s bold lighting designs and enhanced by Peter Nigrini’s projections.
Burton’s spirit lives through the designs – sometimes only in spirit but sometimes quite literally with clear references to the filmmaker’s work. The expressionistic approach uses lots of angles, exaggerations, and distortions perfect for a show that only grows more outrageous as it goes on. The characters romp through a simple country house, to the same house redesigned with the more modern sensibilities of the Deetz family, and finally to the kind of hellish landscape you’d expect if you hired someone like Beetlejuice as your interior designer.
William Ivey Long’s costumes (with assists from Charles G. LaPointe’s hair and wig design, and makeup by Joe Dulude II) fit the world Korins has created perfectly. As does all the trickery living in this production, a mix of Jeremy Chernick’s special effects and the magic and illusion designs of Michael Weber, and Michael Curry’s puppets (it’s sand worms, people, there are sand worms).
Beetlejuice is a wild ride, non-stop and thrilling, with an eager-to-please personality that’s hard to resist. Not that anyone seemed to be trying to hard. And really, why would you? Don’t you want to be entertained? If so, on entertainment alone, I don’t know if you’ll see a better show in Houston this year. And that’s definitely saying something.
