In case you haven’t heard of it, or have been living under a rock for 30 years and haven’t seen the movie, “Beetlejuice” follows a mourning Lydia Deetz (Madison Mosley) as she grieves for her deceased mother and contends with her absent father Charles (Jesse Sharp) and ridiculous life coach Delia (Sarah Litzinger).
Beetlejuice (Justin Collette) is a raunchy ghost host and demon who has spent years passing through life invisible. Beetlejuice is crass, over the top and absolutely hilarious. The jokes are incredibly topical; from book burning to the irony of modern politics, this show uses modernity to its advantage.
The show opens with Lydia singing a heartfelt ballad about the emptiness her mother’s death left in her life but quickly divulges into a campy tune titled “The Whole ‘Being Dead Thing’”.
Beetlejuice guides audience members through a self-aware if not existential song about the unavoidable nature of death- “That’s the thing with life,” Beetlejuice sings. “No one makes it out alive!”
Barbara (Megan McGinnis) and Adam (Will Burton) Maitland are a lovably dull suburban couple who are deeply bonded by their love of mundanity until they get the shock of their lives — literally. After plugging in some faulty wiring Barbara and Adam die and encounter, you guessed it, Beetlejuice.
After moving into the Maitland’s home, Lydia sings a gut-wrenching ballad about her deceased mom, fittingly titled “Dead Mom”. This moment brings deep vulnerability to a show filled with pomp and theatrical hits. The minimal lighting and set during this moment allow Lydia’s powerful voice to shine through.
Up in the attic, Beetlejuice tries and fails to transform the Maitlands into haunting houseguests so that he can be seen by the living and they can reclaim their home. The deceased couple meets Lydia, who is thrilled when she realizes she can finally speak about her dead mom to someone.
Feeling unheard by her father after he reveals he asked Delia to marry him, Lydia decides to take her own life. The show utilizes forced perspective and incredible backdrops to create an immersive rooftop scene.
While on the roof Beetlejuice sings “Say My Name”, attempting to bargain with Lydia in her distressed state. Unconvinced by Beetlejuice’s tricks, Lydia teams up with Barbara and Adam to create a business dinner her father and his snobby investor will never forget.
In what is easily one of the most exciting numbers of the whole show, Barbara and Adam possess Delia, Charles and the rest of the dinner guests, resulting in a spirited rendition of “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)”.
Frustrated by the investor’s delight in the haunted house, Lydia says Beetlejuice’s name three times. This causes pure mayhem and everyone except Lydia, Barbara and Adam to flee the home.
Act two begins with an optimistic girl scout named Sky with a heart condition on her way to sell some cookies — what could go wrong? Lydia and Beetlejuice rejoice in “That Beautiful Sound” as they scare the daylights out of Sky, a pizza delivery man, a mail carrier and a well-meaning neighbor. The living room transforms into a Beetlejuice bachelor pad, covered in stripes and funky furniture.
This is one of the most action-packed numbers of the show filled with Beetlejuice duplicates, backflips and dancing on tabletops.
Determined to help Lydia, Barbara and Adam sing “Barbara 2.0” deciding that while they may be dead, they no longer want to exist passively.
Lydia becomes set on bringing her dead mom back to life and journeys to The Netherworld (afterlife) and her father follows her. Once there, pageant queen Miss Argentina (Hillary Porter) sings about how lucky Lydia is to be alive in “What I Know Now”.
Skydivers who jumped too early, a towel-clad woman holding a toaster and countless other members of the deceased urge Lydia to “See a shrink, call a priest, ask the recently deceased, death is final and you cannot press rewind.”
While the show deals with death in a fun way, there is nothing funny about Lydia’s heart-to-heart with her father Charles. The pair bond over their grief and Charles vows to keep Lydia’s mother’s memory alive when they return.
Annoyed by Lydia’s refusal to marry him which would allow him to join the world of the living, Beetlejuice holds Delia, Barbara and Adam hostage in a “Family Feud” style game show.
Lydia devises a plan to bring Beetlejuice back to life by marrying him, only to kill him again and force him into The Netherworld. This plan is communicated through the hilarious song “Creepy Old Guy” which pokes fun at just how incredibly ridiculous this plot point is.
Every element of this show was incredible. From the gorgeous set design in each scene which was so seamless it felt like watching a film, to the absolutely brilliant vocals of each cast member this show was truly to die for.
There’s only one thing left to say
Beetlejuice… Beetlejuice…
Better get your tickets now for this captivatingly strange show running at the Morrison Center through Dec. 22.
