Beetlejuice Review

Spooky, spellbinding and thoroughly good fun, Beetlejuice The Musical is taking broadway audiences by storm. Based on Tim Burton's cult classic movie of the same name, this wild journey through surreal slapstick and melodramatic melancholia is, to put simply, childish fun, performing to sold-out shows months after opening night.

The talented cast is headlined by Alex Brightman of School of Rock, who brings a charming and intense likeability to the character originally made famous by Michael Keaton in the 1988 film. Most notable about Brightman's portrayal is Beetlejuice's signature gravelly voice, which is impressive enough on its own before he sings pitch perfectly in the same ‘dead’ voice.

The storyline follows a ‘strange and unusual’ teenager, Lydia Deetz (Sophia Anne Caruso) as she navigates through a confusing period after her mother's death. In the process, she meets the ghosts (Kerry Butler and Rob McClure) that inhabit her new house and of course, Beetlejuice himself. Sophia Anne Caruso has a fantastic angstyness about her, although her voice doesn't sound as though it is in the healthiest of conditions when she hits the high notes in ‘Dead Mom’, which could be a potential worry for the 18 year old singer.

Though on the surface the production seems like tongue in cheek chaos, beneath this there is actually a touching story of grief, family, belonging and green card marriages.

Beetlejuice has a fantastic score written by Eddie Perfect, angsty, heartfelt, funny, with a perfect sprinkle of fairground ghost train music.

What takes this show from fun to exemplary, however, is the set design. With design led by David Korins, the stage transforms from a graveyard to a house and back again, even managing to see the house redecorated at one point. The stage design itself is so ingenious it almost detracts from the main event. Almost.

Worth noting, as well, is the lighting and sound design, led by Jeremy Chernick, which greatly increases the immersion for the audience, contributing to the overall impressive attraction to the critically acclaimed show.

Beetlejuice is bright, lively, and fun, with trapdoors and puppets, pyrotechnics and strobes, definitely worth watching if you’re near Broadway. British musical fans can only hope that Beetlejuice will be making the jump over to the West End