Review: It’s Showtime! Beetlejuice Makes Death a Whole Lot of Fun

It’s Showtime! Beetlejuice Makes Death a Whole Lot of Fun

The 1980’s & 90’s produced some of the best movies. Just to name a few, totally at random, are Back to the Future, Mrs. Doubtfire, and Beetlejuice. Besides just laughs, a key ingredient to a good story is heart (whether it’s beating or not) at the center of it all. Enough about movies, though; the subject is this musical. Inspired by the 1988 film, Beetlejuice: The Musical claims to be a show about death, but it contains a lot of life.

The title character may not be amongst the living, but Beetlejuice still overflows with energy. His introductory song, "The Whole 'Being Dead’ Thing," sets the tone that Beetlejuice is a no-filter ghoul who will say or do anything. As Beetlejuice, Ryan Stajmiger spits out one-liners as fast as a politician does lies in an election year (or any year). No topic is taboo, after all, Beetlejuice is already invisible to the living, so he has nothing to hide. 

With the ferocity of a giant sandworm, Stajmiger shatters the fourth wall and builds rapport with the audience. With his charisma and quick wit there were times that Beetlejuice resembled a stand-up comedian. Whenever he’s on stage, “It’s showtime.”

In addition to Stajmiger’s performance, another highlight is the voice of Leianna Weaver (Lydia). Her character is dark, but Weaver’s voice can light up the world. When Weaver sings, the show transcends from a comedy to a showcase of amazing vocal ability. The grief and loneliness of Lydia, paired with Weaver’s voice, really pulls at the heartstrings. Particularly during ‘Dead Mom’ and ‘Home,’ Weaver ranks amongst the best vocalists I recall ever hearing on any stage.

The plot revolves around the sudden death of a normal couple, Adam (David Wilson) & Barbara (Kaitlin Feely), who first encounter Beetlejuice after their demise. Wilson and Feely are way above average at portraying the everyday American. Beetlejuice calls them boring, but they are delightful, especially when attempting to be scary. Beetlejuice encourages them to haunt the family who moves into the house they lived in so they can reclaim their beloved home.

Charles (Jeff Brooks), a recent widower, is the driving force behind the new development plans. The aforementioned Lydia is the daughter of Charles. Joining them is Delia (Bailey Frankenberg), a life coach and Charles' secret lover. Frankenberg radiates amongst all the darkness around her, though Delia’s record with helping Lydia is not a winning one.

One of the funniest scenes is when the highly anticipated business dinner Charles and Delia host completely unravels into musical chaos. Throughout the entire show, it’s never really known what could happen next. Everything from bizarre, unexpected visitors to wild, spontaneous celebrations keeps the audience guessing at every turn.

A visually spectacular trip into the Netherworld introduces some of the most familiar faces from the film. There’s Miss Argentina (Carly Natania Grossman) and the chain-smoking Juno (Da’Zaria Harris) as the gatekeeper. It’s a small part that Harris totally embodies and makes a big impression with.

Every aspect of the show, special effects, scenery, costumes, choreography, orchestra, is top-notch. It can’t be easy to bring the visual world associated with Beetlejuice to life on stage, but the entire cast and crew does just that. While the movie is rated PG, be aware that the musical is geared more towards adults than children. There’s profanity, sexual innuendos, and drug use, all within the first scene. Beetlejuice is uncensored and holds nothing back.

Death is normally not a very pleasant topic, but there’s an exception to every rule. 

In this case, Beetlejuice makes death a whole lot of fun.

ℹ️ Show information: Beetlejuice: The Musical - now at The Schuster thru Sunday, June 28

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