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Review Roundup: BEETLEJUICE Opens at the National Theatre in DC
Based on Tim Burton's dearly beloved film, BEETLEJUICE tells the story of Lydia Deetz, a teena who meets a recently deceased couple and a demon with a thing for stripes.
By: Team BWW May. 19, 2023
He earned his stripes on Broadway... now the ghost-with-the-most is in DC! Audiences are raving about the national tour of Beetlejuice, now on stage at The National Theatre through May 28th! Read reviews for the production!
The North American tour features Justin Collette as Beetlejuice, Isabella Esler as Lydia Deetz, Britney Coleman as Barbara Maitland, Will Burton as Adam Maitland, Jesse Sharp as Charles, Kate Marilley as Delia, with Danielle Marie Gonzalez as Miss Argentina, Abe Goldfarb as Otho, Karmine Alers as Maxine Dean/Juno, Brian Vaughn as Maxie Dean and Jackera Davis as the Girl Scout. The cast also features Michael Biren, Ryan Breslin, Juliane Godfrey, Morgan Harrison, Matthew Michael Janisse, Kenway Ho Wai K. Kua, Sean McManus, Lee N Price, Nevada Riley, Trevor Michael Schmidt, Lexie Dorsett Sharp and CorBen Williams.
Based on Tim Burton's dearly beloved film, BEETLEJUICE tells the story of Lydia Deetz, a strange and unusual teenager whose life changes when she meets a recently deceased couple and Beetlejuice, a demon with a thing for stripes. When Lydia calls on Beetlejuice to scare away anyone with a pulse, this double-crossing specter unleashes a (Nether)world of pandemonium, and the biggest sandworm Broadway has ever seen.
BEETLEJUICE is directed by Tony Award winner Alex Timbers (Moulin Rouge!, director of Warner Bros. forthcoming TOTO, the animated musical film adaptation of Michael Morpurgo and Emma Chichester Clark's 2017 book) with an original score by Tony Award nominee Eddie Perfect (King Kong); a book by Tony Award nominee Scott Brown ("Castle Rock") and Tony and Emmy Award nominee Anthony King ("Robbie"); music supervision, orchestrations and incidental music by Kris Kukul (Joan of Arc: Into the Fire); and choreography by Connor Gallagher (The Robber Bridegroom).
BEETLEJUICE features scenic design by three-time Tony Award nominee David Korins (Hamilton); costume design by six-time Tony Award winner William Ivey Long (The Producers); lighting design by Tony Award winner Kenneth Posner (Kinky Boots); sound design by Tony Award winner Peter Hylenski (Moulin Rouge!); projection design by Tony Award nominee and Drama Desk Award winner Peter Nigrini (Dear Evan Hansen); puppet design by Drama Desk Award winner Michael Curry (The Lion King); special effects design by Jeremy Chernick (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), hair and wig design by Drama Desk Award nominee Charles G. LaPointe; make-up design by Joe Dulude II; casting by The Telsey Office.
Hannah R. Wing, BroadwayWorld: Death is everywhere in this show, but so is the humor, which perfectly matches the zing of the Beetlejuice movie. In fact, the whole ensemble manifests this spirit. Michael Keaton should watch out for Justin Collette's Beetlejuice. He is laugh-out-loud funny, and his comedic timing with raunchy jokes is deadly good. Coleman and Burton are downright loveable and hysterical as the quirky Maitlands. Charles and Delia (Kate Marilley)'s passionate love and banter are also highlights of the musical.
Fosse Thornton, MD Theatre Guide: The effects were truly wonderful to behold and capture the very reason why theatre is such a magical thing. Go see "Beetlejuice" if you want to witness an all-star cast and experience a heartwarming story-overall it's a grand, old time.
Ashley Saunders, Ashley & Company: From the second you step into the theater, it's clear that you have now entered the curious and peculiar imagination of Tim Burton. Green and purple lights swirled around and a giant "Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse" marquee promises that just beyond the curtain your favorite demon lurks. Soon the lights go out and the show begins with a mournful ballad, "Prologue: Invisible," sung by Lydia. But it isn't long before Beetlejuice makes his entrance and the show really gets started. Beetlejuice is a bawdy, hilarious, wickedly fun death party that makes for one helluva good night at the theatre.
D.R. Lewis, DC Theater Arts: Washington audiences are no strangers to this production, having endured its 2018 pre-Broadway tryout ahead of its 2019 New York debut. Beetlejuice has returned to the National tighter than its previous iteration, with great credit to director Alex Timbers and book writers Scott Brown and Anthony King, though its self-conscious, albeit lively, score by Eddie Perfect (supported with orchestrations and incidental music by Kris Kukul) remains largely unmemorable. But what Beetlejuice lacks in distinct melodies and hummable tunes, it makes up for in nonstop, raunchy, laugh-out-loud comedy. Audiences might have considered asking the lethal question of why this material should have been musicalized at all, if they weren't so busy guffawing at the lyrics.
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