Trailer For The BEETLEJUICE Broadway Musical and Two Songs Released
Thanks to a new trailer we have our very first look at the Broadway musical adaptation of Tim Burton’s classic film Beetlejuice. It actually looks like it will be a fun show to go see if you’re ever in New York City! We also have a couple songs for you to listen to called “Dead Mom” and “Say My Name.”
Here’s the official description for Beetlejuice: The Musical:
It's showtime, folks! The ghost-with-the-most comes to the stage in this edgy and irreverent musical comedy based on Tim Burton's dearly beloved film. Beetlejuice tells the story of Lydia Deetz, a strange and unusual teenager obsessed with the whole 'being dead thing.' Lucky for Lydia, her new house is haunted by a recently deceased couple and Beetlejuice, a delightful demon with a real zest for life. When Lydia calls on Beetlejuice to scare away anyone with a pulse, this double-crossing specter shows his true stripes, unleashing a (Nether)world of pandemonium, and the biggest sandworm Broadway has ever seen.
Beetlejuice is played by Alex Brightman (School of Rock) in the production and it looks like he’s having a blast with it! When talking about Brightman’s portrayal of Beetlejuice, the director of the play, Alex Timbers, previously explained that it will completely separate itself from what Michael Keaton did 30 years ago. This is going to be a “younger, punkier” version of the character:
“One of the things I love about Alex is, not only is he a great theater performer, but he’s also a writer, so he brings a sensibility that can stand outside the performance. [His Beetlejuice] is definitely not a Michael Keaton impression. It’s his own. It’s filtered through the sensibility of Alex Brightman.”
Lydia Deets will be played by 17-year-old Sophia Anne Caruso and when talking about the story that centers around her, the director said:
“Refocusing the story on Lydia’s emotional journey, Lydia’s relationship to Beetlejuice — who were [both] more like secondary characters in the film — felt like a great way in. Beetlejuice and Lydia are both trickster figures, in a way. Certainly Beetlejuice is, but musical theater has a great history of con men as characters when you think about Bialystock and Bloom or Harold Hill in The Music Man, so it felt to me that the DNA of those two characters felt like great musical theater protagonists in the way they work off each other.”
Don’t worry, though. Beetlejuice will still have a big presence in the stage production, as he becomes an agent of chaos for the two families at the center of the story. Timbers goes on to compare the character to Marvel's Loki, who also enjoys causing mischief:
“He’s one of those characters in film that that you can imagine breaking the fourth wall, and I think in theater, you want these characters that vibrate with life and can kick over the footlights and land in your lap. That’s Beetlejuice. He can directly address the audience. He can be an unreliable narrator. He can be a Loki figure, you know? He can be a god of chaos, and that’s really exciting.”
The Broadway production of Beetlejuice is set to open on April 25th. Check out the trailer, listen to the songs, and let us know if this looks like something you’d enjoy watching!