Review: Spooky Vibes Hit Orlando Early with BEETLEJUICE, a Summer Musical Magic Show at Dr. Phillips Center

BEETLEJUICE may be distinct among Broadway musicals for coming back from the dead and also being about being back from the dead. Based on the 1988 Tim Burton movie, the musical opened in New York in 2019, then closed because of Covid, later becoming one of the few shuttered shows resurrected post-pandemic. Now it’s on tour and visiting Orlando’s Dr. Phillips Center, where spooky season comes early — even by Central Florida standards.

It brings big Burton energy off the bat. Hues of purple and green wash over the orchestra seats as the curtains open on sharply slanted walls and Gothic-Expressionism, the unmistakable calling card of Hollywood’s weirdest auteur.  

If you came for spookish vibes and special effects, then, as the title character says… “It’s showtime!” BEETLEJUICE is a full-fledged haunted house on stage, and that makes for an undeniably fun night. But if you’re looking for memorable music or clever comedy, I’m afraid this review reads more like an obituary. As a musical rather than a magic show, BEETLEJUICE is dead on arrival.

The movie follows two deceased homeowners who learn to navigate the afterlife by teaming up with a still-living emo teen to haunt her parents out of a beloved family estate. To do that, they reluctantly accept assistance from Hell’s most repugnant poltergeist, a grouchy green-haired ghost named Beetlejuice. In his relatively limited screen appearances, he’s portrayed by Michael Keaton, whose loose-cannon energy is uniquely equipped to keep the potentially obnoxious character in the realm of likeability.

On stage, though, BEETLEJUICE goes from “the ghost with the most” to “the ghost who needs to calm down." He’s fast, he’s loud, he’s lewd, and for the most part, he’s not very funny. Playwrights Scott Brown and Anthony King conflate the rhythm of comedy with the essence of it, settling for observations and cultural references that sound amusing but aren’t actually saying much. (That said, I did join in the audience’s thunderous response to a slick jab at Ron DeSantis’s “Don’t Say Gay” and book-banning campaigns, presumably inserted for the benefit of Orlandoians.) Justin Collette gives it gusto, but even his spirited performance can’t keep this Beetle from running out of juice.

The show is at its best when making light of death. One of theatre’s most essential virtues is its power to help us process mortality. And in fairness, BEETLEJUICE eagerly returns to that central theme again and again, never more effectively than in “Dead Mom” — the show’s only standout song. Isabella Esler is exquisite as angsty Lydia Deetz, perfectly coupling the character’s wry sensibility with a reservoir of sadness and optimism underneath.

Kate Marilley successfully channels Catherine O’Hara’s Delia Deetz, despite the book requiring her to do something bigger and broader. Her guru, Otho, regrettably has a smaller role in the musical than the movie, but Abe Goldfarb milks every moment. Britney Coleman and Will Burton (the Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin characters, Barbara and Adam) are serviceable, Coleman’s strong voice an effective counterpoint to Will Burton’s comedy chops.

The next time I’m inclined to summon Beetlejuice from beyond, I’ll be sure to do it via Blu-ray. But I’ll say this for the musical: it has me hyped for Halloween earlier than ever, and that’s not nothing.

Tickets are available from the Dr. Phillips Center, where the shows run through July 2, 2023. Dr. Phillips Center box office.

What do you think of BEETLEJUICE on tour? Let me know on Twitter @AaronWallace. 

Photo Credit: Pictured (L-R): Isabella Esler (Lydia) and Justin Collette (Beetlejuice). Photo by Matthew Murphy, 2022.