BWW Album Review: BEETLEJUICE: THE DEMOS! THE DEMOS! THE DEMOS! Gives Insight Into Eddie Perfect's Process Creating the Fan-Favorite Musical

I'll say this three times: I absolutely love Beetlejuice the Musical. In fact, I actually saw it multiple times during its Broadway run. When I heard that Eddie Perfect, who wrote the music and lyrics, would be releasing this album of demos, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it.

Beetlejuice: The Demos! The Demos! The Demos! is an album made up of early demos that either didn't make the cut, or were revamped for the musical's final product. With 24 tracks, there was quite a bit to sink my teeth into.

Overall, I very much enjoyed listening through this album. I got a lot of enjoyment out of getting a glimpse into Perfect's creative process, and the various iterations the musical went through over the course of four years, from original pitch, to Broadway opening.

Many of the songs that have stuck around from early versions were cut down, one of them being "The Whole Being Dead Thing". I think that song is genius, I always have, and I love the way it introduces the show, so I was very happy to discover that it was in original 2014 pitch. The original version was much longer, with some different lyrics and questionable rhymes. Nonetheless, it very much had the same overall essence that introduces the audience to Beetlejuice, as a character, and as a musical.

The demo versions of "Say My Name", "No Reason", and "Barbara 2.0", on the other hand, didn't change too much from their original versions. A few lyric changes were made here and there, but nothing too extensive. I appreciate that the track titles included what year each song was from, as it really helped me to track the course of the show's development.

Two characters who did not end up having their own solo songs, Charles and Otho, had solos in previous versions. The two solos written for Otho, called "The Box" and "I Am Very Good at Running Cults", both had me laughing out loud. Otho as a character is very out-there, and these songs are no exception. With him being a side character, I understand why the songs didn't make the cut, but they were still a delight to experience.

Charles' first solo song, "Sign Yourself Over to Me", was about his proposal to Delia, and how he saw it as more of a business transaction. I'm not sure if this fit into an original concept for Charles' character, but in my opinion, it doesn't quite make sense for the Charles we saw on the Broadway stage. It made him look a bit like a jerk, who didn't really love Delia, and I'm glad a different route was taken with his character.

The other solo song for Charles that we got to hear on this album is "A Little More Of Your Time", a soft ballad he sings to Lydia. This one I think fits the final version of Charles much better, as it really shows how much he cares about protecting his daughter. I could have seen this in the final version, maybe toward the end before Lydia sings Home.

Another song that gave some character background we don't see in the final version was "Mamma Would". This song is sung by Lydia, who is reflecting on the time spent with her deceased mother. It talks about some of the various "weird" things her mom would do, which really provides some insight into why Lydia is the way she is. We get some background on their relationship, and how close they were, which makes me sympathize even more with Lydia as she mourns her death.

Unfortunately I didn't get to see Beetlejuice's pre-Broadway run in D.C., but from what I understand, the show was very different then from its Broadway counterpart. One change that sparked a lot of talk on social media among the show's superfans, was the decision to cut Boy Inferno, the fictional boy band that Lydia meets in the Netherworld. The song, "Everything Is Kinda "Meh"", was replaced with "What I Know Now", sung by Miss Argentina. While I like the vibe of the former, I understand why it was replaced, and think the energy of "What I Know Now" is more fitting. Sorry, Boy Inferno die-hards.

As a whole, Beetlejuice: The Demos! The Demos! The Demos! was an absolute delight to experience. I hope other musicals consider following in Eddie Perfect's footsteps in the future, as this type of album is something I'd be very interested in hearing for all of my favorite shows.

Beetlejuice: The Demos! The Demos! The Demos! is now available from Ghostlight Records at: https://www.ghostlightrecords.com/beetlejuice-the-demos.html.

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