Interview: Madison Mosley of BEETLEJUICE at Saenger Theatre

BroadwayWorld.com recently had the chance to chat with Madison Mosley, who is taking on the iconic role of Lydia in the national tour of BEETLEJUICE, which will be playing at the Saenger Theatre in New Orleans from November 12-17. With her goth style, sharp wit and emotional depth, Lydia is a fan-favorite character who brings humor and heart to this supernatural comedy. In our Q&A, Mosley shared her insights on preparing to play Lydia, the thrill of working with a dynamic cast and the unexpected emotional journey that audiences can expect from BEETLEJUICE. From donning Lydia’s signature dark wardrobe to navigating the high-energy world of Beetlejuice’s improv, Mosley offers an inside look at what bringing this beloved character to life is like.

BroadwayWorld.com: How did you prepare to play Lydia? Did you watch the original BEETLEJUICE film or other performances, like the animated series?

Mosley: I will say I watched the musical online. I didn’t get a chance to see the musical while it was on Broadway or touring, but I always wanted to play Lydia. So while I was in school, I sang some of her songs for master classes and things like that. I feel like, in my own way, I was kind of able to have what I used back in college and just see how the other Lydias have done it as well.

BWW: Lydia has such a distinct look. How does it feel to transform into her with the costume, makeup, and hair each night?

Mosley: I love it. I think it’s so fun. I feel like Lydia’s style is something that I would love to emulate in my own personal life, but I tend to go for more brighter colors and things like that. I think it’s very fun to put on just this black dress with all the safety pins. I love the boots. She wears these really cool boots with all these safety pins on them. It’s really fun, I feel like there’s this side of me that wants to dress like Lydia…and being in that totally kind of more goth style is something that is really cool.

BWW: BEETLEJUICE is known for iconic, over-the-top characters. How do you make Lydia’s unique personality stand out in a world filled with such big personalities?

Mosley: I think something that is actually kind of fun about Lydia is she has this understated, mysterious vibe to her. Lydia has some whimsical elements, but everybody else is very personalized and bright. The whole musical is just colorful and bright and just a big spectacle. And I feel like Lydia sometimes kind of stands still. She has this understated energy to her where she might be a little moodier. She moves slower throughout the space, and I think that actually kind of helps because she stands out in that way.

BWW: Can you tell us a bit about working with the rest of the cast, especially those playing Beetlejuice and the Deetz family?

Mosley: It’s been really great. I came in at a time when they’d had a year and a half to get together and connect. It felt very welcoming to come into this cast, and Justin is great. He’s just an improv king and a genius on the stage. There have definitely been times where I felt I slipped up or I had to go on very last minute, and everybody who was on stage with me that night was like, “We got you; if something goes wrong, it goes wrong, but we’ll have you when you need to bounce back.” So that feeling is very, very nice. Everybody else who plays Beetlejuice has been so fun; they’re all so different in how they play him, and that’s really exciting when an understudy goes on and I get to get a different feel for the show for myself.

BWW: Since this is your national debut, what has been your biggest learning experience in the rehearsal and performance process?

Mosley: The biggest thing has been learning how to pace myself. I’ve never done a show where I’m doing eight shows a week for a long, extended period, and I think that was a little bit scary for me to try and tackle. I feel like now, finally, the show has felt attainable. Like, I feel like it’s been this big, huge mountain I’ve had to climb, and just looking at it was a bit scary, but now I’m like, “Okay, I’ve got a couple of reps in.” It feels something that I can…learn how to ease in and ease back when I’m doing a show several times a week.

BWW: Lydia is a character who doesn’t feel she fits in. Have you found any parts of her story that personally resonate with you?

Mosley: I would say so. There is no way of living without her mom, and I think, in her own way, she’s trying to make life meaningful. I think that her journey is so relatable to a lot of people. She has a turning point later in the musical that I find I really relate to because there’s always just that something in your life that you realize, like, “Oh, I have everything I need. I have my family. This feeling will pass,” and I think she finds that she can just be.

BWW: What is the funniest or most surprising thing you’ve learned about Lydia or BEETLEJUICE that you didn’t know before joining the cast?

Mosley: I’d say the funniest thing is just all the improv that the Beetlejuices do. I never realized how much they can go off of the script. There are so many bits that are built into the show that I wasn’t expecting, and I never realized they were a thing. Each Beetlejuice has a different thing that they do, and being able to play off of that as Lydia has been really fun while trying not to break.

BWW: What’s your favorite part of BEETLEJUICE to perform, and why?

Mosley: I really enjoy “Home” and “Creepy Old Guy.” “Home” is such a beautiful song, and I think we get to see a part of Lydia that we haven’t seen yet, and she gets to be super vulnerable. I have this one-on-one scene with Jesse, who plays Charles, and I think that scene is also really beautiful, and then the end of the song propels into the rest of the act. And “Creepy Old Guy” is just fun. I get to wear this ridiculously huge red wedding dress, and I have this big veil. There’s a big dance break, and that’s really fun for me.

BWW: Finally, what can audiences expect from BEETLEJUICE, and what do you hope audiences will take away from the show?

Mosley: The musical adaptation focuses more on Lydia and Beetlejuice than the Maitlands. It shows how the Maitlands haunting their house affects Lydia and how we can see the pathways she goes through to relying on Beetlejuice to scare her parents away and things like that. I love it because it is so fun…and it’s such a beautiful, honest storyline…I think that audiences can take away just honestly how heartwarming it is. And you don’t expect it to be heartwarming because you expect it to be scary, but it really does have a beautiful ending, and I think it’s wonderful.

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