What ‘Beetlejuice The Musical’ lacks in astounding, memorable musical numbers, it more than makes up for in many other departments – costuming, props, and fantastic acting performances make the production a thrilling, camp night out.
Eddie Perfect (music and lyrics) steps into the demonic titular role here, and proves a total dream. His performance is totally deranged in the best way possible. . . Somehow managing to be chaotic, endearing, disturbing, perverted and charming all in one hit. This is a ‘born to play’ performance – and it’s a wonder that Eddie is only just taking on the role now. Countless meta, self-aware jokes break down a wall, giving ‘Beetlejuice’ a sharp, comedic edge upon which its titular character teeters for the entirety of the show.
Karis Oka’s Lydia Deetz is fantastic – an emulation of Winona Ryder’s portrayal in the film, injected with extra nuance and emotion. Her song ‘Home’ is a highlight in the show. . . Marking a beautiful turning point in the character and offering Karis the chance to show off her stunning vocal ability.
Elise McCann and Rob Johnson are Barbara and Adam Maitland. Their 1950s, sitcom-style American household vibes – living in suburbia and dreaming of having a family – are played convincingly here, and they’re hilarious to watch post-death as they navigate the afterlife together.
Erin Clare’s Delia Deetz steals the show almost as much as Eddie’s Beetlejuice. Her comedic timing is astonishing, as she channels ‘Schitt’s Creek’’s Moira Rose and embraces every line and blocking instruction in her script. This reviewer notes that almost everything that comes out of Erin’s mouth elicits belly laughs from the audience – a total home run.
Tom Wren’s cagey Charles Deetz, unwilling to process his trauma, represents the side of grief many of us are much too familiar with: pushing it away and refusing to fully acknowledge it. It’s a campy, colourful musical, so of course it’s done with the right amount of humour so as to not bring things down too much. . . But Tom plays it well.
Image © Michelle Grace Hunder
‘Beetlejuice’ is, expectedly, filled with fun on-stage effects like random bursts of flame and extra limbs appearing out of no where – making it a gloriously unpredictable adventure. Eddie interacts with audiences on a number of occasions, bringing them even further into the show.
The music of ‘Beetlejuice’ is good, however there are no showstoppers which plant themselves in your brain for hours after. ‘What I Know Now’ comes close – but its main selling point is visual spectacle, starring many characters in the Netherworld (including the iconic Harry The Hunter). Don’t worry – these are fun songs, with dynamic staging and choreography, so what’s presented isn’t bad by any means.
A slightly chaotic final act slightly pulls the threads apart, but by the end everything feels tied together nicely enough.
Set design is fun and Burton-esque – utilising lighting, bold colours and warped perspectives to take audiences between the real world and the Netherworld. It takes all the weirdness from the original film and translates it beautifully on stage. Well. . . Almost all. In the film, the Netherworld felt a lot more complex and bizarre. Here, it appears as one or two static set pieces which could have been expanded on a little more.
‘Beetlejuice The Musical’ includes the fun and wackiness of its source material, injects it with even more emotion, and gives its characters (primarily Beetlejuice and Delia Deetz) plenty to play with. The show’s music is fun enough, set design is bold and interesting for the most part, and on the whole, ‘Beetlejuice’ is a rollicking, unpredictable circus of weird and wacky proportions, with a chaotic but loveable ringmaster, in Eddie Perfect, at its helm.
★★★★☆
