It’s Showtime!

The first movie musical that I will be critiquing is Beetlejuice, a new Broadway musical based on the 1988 film of the same name. Beetlejuice first hit the stage on April 25, 2019, at the Winter Garden Theater. Thanks to COVID, Beetlejuice’s original tenure on Broadway was short-lived. However, the show returned with a bang at the Marquis Theater three years later after fans begged for its return. Since then, ticket prices have soared, the seats have been filled, and their gross income has skyrocketed immensely. I have seen Beetlejuice three times on Broadway, most recently being in June of this year, so I am very familiar with the show. But, does the musical live up to its predecessor?

Beetlejuice the Movie

As a movie, I think Beetlejuice is decent. The movie, coming in at a PG rating, juxtaposes humor with thrill, thus making it a compelling movie for both kids and adults alike. Not to mention, the stellar cast of Winona Ryder (Lydia Deetz), Michael Keaton (Beetlejuice), Alec Baldwin (Adam Maitland), and Catherine O’Hara (Delia Deetz) truly movie compelling and interesting to watch (for the full cast, check out Beetlejuice (1988) – Full Cast & Crew – IMDb). Furthermore, the quirky set of the movie and dynamic costumes brilliantly captures the eccentric world of Beetlejuice and Tim Burton.

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However, from an audience perspective, the Beetlejuice movie leaves me with several unresolved questions. For instance, what happened to Lydia’s mother? Does Lydia feel resentment toward her father, Charles, in any way for remarrying so quickly? Who exactly is Beetlejuice? Why does he act with malicious intent?

 

 

Beetlejuice the Musical

Unlike its movie counterpart, the musical adaptation of Beetlejuice yields no further questions. Because musicals are typically longer than movies, playwrights and composers are allotted more time for storytelling and character development. This is highly evident in the book of Beetlejuice. After seeing the show three times, my favorite element has got to be the complexity of the characters, particularly the complexity of Lydia and Beetlejuice. In the movie, Lydia is perceived as just an angsty and goth teenager- a trope that is rather boring and cliché. In the musical, however, she is more than just her angsty persona; instead, she is a portrayed as a vulnerable, confused, and lonely girl finding it difficult to cope with the death of her mom, her new house, and her father’s new girlfriend, Delia. Similarly, Beetlejuice is portrayed as more than just the cunning antagonist of the story. In the musical, he too is portrayed as a lonely and vulnerable character who just wants a friend to navigate the afterlife with. In a way, Lydia and Beetlejuice are both fighting the same battles but at different stages of their lives. This ultimately brings the two characters together to develop a friendship during the show. But don’t fret! The musical version of Beetlejuice, played by Alex Brightman, is just as cunning, sneaky, and funny as Keaton plays him in the movie.

Script and Score

As far as the script and score, I find the musical to be far more raunchy, entertaining, and campy than the movie. The darker elements of the movie, such as the exorcism and hauntings, are still prominent in the musical, but it is offset by better humor and more entertaining quirks. Furthermore, the music composed by Eddie Perfect brilliantly juxtaposes the upbeat tones of pop music with the dark tonality of heavy rock to encapsulate the happy and sorrowful points of the show. Some of the best songs of the show include “The Whole Being Dead Thing,” “Dead Mom,” “Say My Name,” “Day-O,” “The Beautiful Sound,” “What I Know,” and “Jump in the Line.” Needless to say, the music is something every audience member can enjoy, even if they dislike musical theatre. To listen to the Beetlejuice soundtrack here: Prologue: Invisible – YouTube

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Lights and Sets Put to the Test

Finally, I cannot write a Beetlejuice review without praising its set and lighting design. The set, for starters, was a mirror image of the movie set. With movie musicals, I am often skeptical of the sets. After all, movies have a much larger budget than musicals. However, this set and its grandeur blew me away, especially with the attention to detail. In fact, the picture hanging above the Maitlands’ house in the beginning of the show is a screenshot of the movie’s opening credit scene. The lights, on the other hand, encapsulated the spooky nature of the show. Personally, I found the lights to be my favorite part of the show, besides the complexity of the characters of course. On average, most Broadway shows today utilize simple light designs, but Beetlejuice utilized a complex array of green and purple lights, thus causing the stage to explode in color.

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Movie or Musical?

So, is Beetlejuice better as a movie or a musical? Without a doubt, Beetlejuice is better as a musical. I love that Beetlejuice still retains the same tone of the movie, but adds more depth to the story’s theme of family love and life. Arguably, Beetlejuice is such a good example of taking a source material, revamping the story, and giving an old classic a new life. In this case, Beetlejuice deserves its place on the silver screen and in its place in front of a spotlight. I highly recommend that everyone, theatre kids or not, take a trip to watch Beetlejuice! 

For ticket details, check out Beetlejuice – Broadway | Tickets | Broadway | Broadway.com