The first time I saw the musical version of Beetlejuice was in the winter of 2019, and I instantly fell in love. While my expectations of a raucous, fourth wall breaking comedy were ever so gloriously fulfilled, what I didn’t anticipate was the depth and emotion of the story. While it is admittedly not perfect, it is unequivocally a lot of fun. I mean, sure, it can arguably be, at times, a bit too self-aware for its own good. However, it is not without a heart. From the start you are smacked in the face with the show’s theme: death. They tell you as much almost immediately, and although the show is titled “Beetlejuice,” the journey irrefutably belongs to Lydia. Her pain is relatable, central to the narrative, and it’s her struggle to reconcile the grief of losing her mom that brings a real-world edge to this iteration of Tim Burton’s 1988 movie. We get a lot of the characters, gags, and schtick, but we also, importantly, get to explore the relationships, and deal with the realities.
The junior version of a show, as with all junior versions, is an abridged adaptation of the original. Many times, this is out of necessity in order to gear the content toward younger interpretations. Despite the condensed material, I think we have done an excellent job of honoring the tone of the original, and our production team has been very fortunate to have this group of talented young actors to help tell this story. I couldn’t be prouder of their consistent efforts throughout this process, their flexibility, and their focus. Watching them build confidence in themselves and each other as a project like this unfolds is truly incredible. Furthermore, I’d like to thank everyone on our production team for their hard work again this year. Please review their names when you get a chance, and know that each one of them was integral to getting this show on its feet. Lastly, a very special shoutout to Jordan and Kathleen for stepping in and tackling some of the more complicated and unique challenges this show presented. We most certainly couldn’t have done this without you.
It's Showtime!
KAS
