Review: BEETLEJUICE Thrills At The Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium

Barbara and Adam Maitland are an ordinary young married couple: they banter, decorate their new house, and dream of starting a family. However, their untimely deaths leave them wringing their spectral hands and watching helplessly as the new inhabitants move in. Desperate to scare away the newcomers, the Maitlands enlist the help of their house’s new resident teen and a green-haired, potty-mouthed demon named Beetlejuice. 

Based on Tim Burton’s 1988 cult classic film starring Michael Keaton, Geena Davis, Alec Baldwin, Winona Ryder, and Catherine O’Hara, Beetlejuice is an eye-popping musical spectacle. After premiering in Washington D.C. in 2018, the production haunted Broadway’s Winter Garden Theatre and received 8 Tony Award nominations. After closing prematurely during the Covid-19 pandemic, Beetlejuice briefly returned to the Great White Way and embarked on its highly-anticipated North American tour. Now, it takes centre stage at Edmonton’s Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium until January 19. 

Beetlejuice stays true to Tim Burton’s macabre but whimsical style: the set is a funhouse of flashing lights, digital projections, and spiral-patterned backdrops. Grinning skeletons frolic, a gargantuan sandworm slithers through doorways, and the recently deceased dance in the Netherworld's shadows. Though there’s some wonky pacing (especially in Act II), the show’s visuals and performances are top-notch. Justin Collette leads the cast as the crass, larger-than-life Beetlejuice, who delights in scandalizing the wholesome Maitlands. On opening night, Will Burton’s Adam played opposite understudy Katie Griffith's Barbara. Griffith and Burton share an endearing chemistry and showcase impressive singing chops, particularly during the number Barbara 2.0.  

Not long after the Maitlands pass, three newcomers move into the quirky Victorian house. Stuffy businessman, Charles (Jesse Sharp), his melancholy teen daughter, Lydia (vocal powerhouse Madison Mosley), and Lydia’s unwanted life coach, Delia (understudy Lexie Dorsett Sharp) become the ghostly Maitlands’ targets. However, Barbara and Adam make a shocking discovery: Lydia can not only see and hear them but is eager to help scare away her father and Delia. With Lydia's help, the Maitlands gleefully wreak havoc on Charles’ dinner party, possessing the guests into belting out Harry Belafonte’s Day-O (The Banana Boat Song). The attempt backfires: Charles becomes enamoured with the prospect of profiting off his haunted house, leaving the Maitlands and Lydia scrambling to concoct a new plan. Meanwhile, Beetlejuice becomes increasingly restless, badgering Lydia to say his name three times to bring him back to life. 

Though the production's style often overrides its substance, a heartbeat still pulses in this death-focused musical. Lydia grieves the death of her mother and the strained relationship with her father while Barbara and Adam mourn the lives they were supposed to lead. Ultimately, the show is a strange and unusual quest for belonging that many audience members can relate to. 

Beetlejuice plays in Edmonton until January 19. Due to its mature subject matter (sexual innuendo, profanity, and drug references), it is not recommended for children under the age of 12. 

Image: Madison Mosley (Lydia), Will Burton (Adam) and Megan McGinnis (Barbara) in Beetlejuice. Photo by Matthew Murphy

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