REVIEW: For a show about death, Beetlejuice is impressively full of life
iPhoto caption: Justin Collette in 'Beetlejuice.' 2022 photo by Matthew Murphy.
Beetlejuice!
Beetlejuice!
Be…tter not finish that word.
Based on the 1988 Tim Burton horror comedy of the same name, Beetlejuice (the Musical, the Musical, the Musical), currently on tour at the CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre, tells the story of a wisecracking demon (Justin Collette) with a singular problem: he can’t wreak apocalyptic chaos because his inconvenient deadness prevents people from seeing him. If he can just get a living person to say his name three times in a row, he’ll emerge from invisibility and take control of the corporeal world.
Luckily, he has a few marks in mind: the Maitlands (Megan McGinnis and Will Burton), an enthusiastically basic newlydead couple who want nothing more than to stay together in their ramshackle Victorian house instead of moving on, and the uneasy family who’s moved into their space: realtor Charles Deetz (Jesse Sharp), his life coach/girlfriend Delia (Sarah Litzsinger), and goth teen Lydia (understudy Emilia Tagliani on opening night), still deep in mourning for her mother. The ghostly but gentle Maitlands desperately need Beetlejuice’s help to scare away the interlopers, and he needs theirs to suggest his name to a living being.
I’m a bad ‘80s baby, never having seen the original movie or its 2024 sequel. I wanted to determine if the musical held up on its own, rather than as nostalgia bait. I can confidently say, after subsequently watching the film, that Beetlejuice the Musical is a thoroughly entertaining show that even improves on the original, adding a far more cohesive storyline, clearer character motivations, and an updated sense of humour that balances the wacky horror with some genuine sweetness and emotion.
Book writer Scott Brown (co-writing with Anthony King) is a George Jean Nathan Award-winning theatre critic, and the book has the mark of an author who has spent many hours considering narrative structure. While the film coasts mainly on vibes, the musical not only knows what it’s about, it sings so — loudly and emphatically. Director Alex Timbers’ opening image, a Burton-inspired funeral with ornate black Victorian outfits by William Ivey Long and deliciously gloomy projections by Peter Negrini, revels in Beetlejuice being “a show about death” (as the chorus repeatedly sings). But it’s also a show about finding community and home where you can — and how that’s only really possible in the land of the living.
The musical also knows who everyone’s come to see: Beetlejuice is the ringmaster and narrator, providing the show’s driving force and sardonic sense of humour. He’s a gross schlub, but a charming one who orchestrates his ascendance with agency. Collette is terrific at terrifying, belting out Eddie Perfect’s clever, rapid-fire lyrics with an echo of Michael Keaton’s signature rasp and delivering primal screams, political jabs, and theatrical in-jokes with aplomb. He’s often accompanied by a chorus of doubles, choreographed effectively by Connor Gallagher, adding to the mania and funhouse aesthetic.
Beetlejuice tells us it’s not so much that the dead are truly invisible; it’s that they’re ignored by the living, most of whom find the subject of death too distasteful or painful to even mention. That’s also the core of Lydia’s conflict with her father, who refuses to talk about her late mother, causing her to rebel by luxuriating in thoughts of the Great Beyond. Lydia’s rocky romance with grief makes her a rich character, and Tagliani vibrantly portrays both Lydia’s anger and her vulnerability, her voice constantly on the edge of a scream or tears.
She detaches from her distant, stuffy father and feels disdain for the ditzy, guru-worshiping Delia (Litzsinger wears colourful costumes to die for and honours Catherine O’Hara with the best pronunciation of “initiative” this side of Moira Rose).
Instead, Lydia communes with the boring but sincere Maitlands, who were too nervous about making a commitment to living in the present, only to find forward motion in death. The sunny McGinnis and Burton add (non-beating) heart to the proceedings as they slowly come into their own to protect Lydia, finding ways to actually be scary — yes, there’s some levitating — and fending off Beetlejuice’s constant advances. The spooky yet mundane Netherworld becomes a clear metaphor for stasis and regret; even repellant, creepy Beetlejuice just wants to be loved.
It’s emotional but not saccharine; there’s always a joke just around the corner, but the writers avoid irony poisoning by giving feelings time to settle when necessary.
While many of Perfect’s songs have a similar sound and tend to blend together, they’re all still catchy and fun. There are a few standouts, such as “The Whole Being Dead Thing,” the morbid opening number; “Dead Mom,” Lydia’s wounded cry to her mother; and “Creepy Old Guy,” a satire of demon-bride child marriage. And don’t worry — there’s still a heaping helping of “Day-O” and “Jump in the Line.”
The fantastical designs are engaging. In addition to Ivey Long and Negrini’s costume and video work, there’s scenery by David Korins, puppets by Michael Curry, and illusions by Michael Weber. An enormous, ghost-eating sandworm is a credible copy of the film version, while other elements riff on the original, capturing the lonely, waiting-room vibe of the Netherworld on a smaller budget. Lighting designer Kenneth Posner’s pre-show green and purple searchlights are, however, painfully blinding, with equally blinding flashing lights appearing during set changes, so viewers with sensory issues may want to bring a pair of shades.
Though a show about death, Beetlejuice is full of the joy of life. It’s not exactly like the movie you remember, but it may be something even better.
Beetlejuice!
Beetlejuice!
Be…st get tickets before they’re gone.
Beetlejuice runs at CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre until July 19. Tickets are available here.
Intermission reviews are independent and unrelated to Intermission’s partnered content. Learn more about Intermission’s partnership model here.
Ilana Lucas
Ilana Lucas is a professor of English in Centennial College’s School of Advancement. She is the President of the Canadian Theatre Critics Association. She holds a BA in English and Theatre from Princeton University, an MFA in Dramaturgy and Script Development from Columbia University, and serves as Princeton’s Alumni Schools Committee Chair for Western Ontario. She has written for Brit+Co, Mooney on Theatre, and BroadwayWorld Toronto. Her most recent play, Let’s Talk, won the 2019 Toronto Fringe Festival’s 24-Hour Playwriting Contest. She has a deep and abiding love of musical theatre, and considers her year working for the estate of Tony winners Phyllis Newman and Adolph Green one of her most treasured memories.
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