Theatre Thursday - Beetlejuice

What: Beetlejuice

Where: Winter Garden Theatre
              1634 Broadway

Who: Recommended for Ages 13 and Up

Me - Beetlejuice was a great show! It watched the movie the day before we saw the show. The movie was okay. It was not one of my favorites. I was really worried that I was not going to like the show that much based on how I felt about the movie. However, I loved it! It was amazing! It was so much better than the movie. The majority of the movie was mainly focused on the Maitlands, and it doesn't really go that deeply into their story either. The show is more focused on Beetlejuice and Lydia and delves much more into their stories. It actually delves more into the Maitlands story as well. It makes it more interesting and more entertaining. The movie is mostly about special effects. There are plenty of special effects in the show as well, and they are even cooler because they have to be created live and not through digital editing. Alex Brightman is terrific in the title role of Beetlejuice. He has a kind of chaotic energy that is perfect for roles of this type. Everyone else was super talented too. One character who was much more likable in the show than the movie was Delia. Her character is extremely funny in the show, and in the movie shes just kind of annoying. I love the music! I don't remember a lot of it because the CD hasn't been released yet. However, I know that when it is I will definitely get it. There are two songs that have already been released that I listen to everyday. They are Dead Mom and Say My Name. I love both of them! I can't wait for the album to be released! Beetlejuice is definitely one of my favorite Broadway shows that I've ever seen!

Mom - The musical Beetlejuice is much more than just a retelling of the movie live on stage. In this version, both the story and the characters are much more developed which makes the former more enjoyable and the latter more relatable. The movie revolved mostly around a recently deceased couple who hire the ghost Beetlejuice to scare away the new owners of their former home. The show is more about a young girl trying to process the death of her mother despite her father's reluctance to let her do so. He instead chooses to move on by acting as if her mother never existed. The movie was mostly a special effects extravaganza. The show has plenty of special effects, but there is so much more to it than that. The acting and singing are all very good. Alex Brightman completely loses himself in the title role of Beetlejuice right down to the voice. Sophia Anne Caruso is just the right mix of tough and vulnerable in the role of Lydia. Her song Dead Mom is heartwrenching. Kerry Butler and Rob McClure are adorably sweet as the Maitlands, the couple whose deaths sparks the plot. Leslie Kritzer is hilarious in the role of Delia. Lydia's stepmother. Day-O (also known as The Banana Boat Song) and Jump in the Line (also known as Shake Senora),  the beloved songs from the movie, are still in the show along with a bunch of new songs which range from the amusing but off the wall opening number, The Whole Being Dead Thing to several sweetly touching ballads by Lydia and more. It is hard to specifically remember all of the songs, however, since they were not listed in the playbill, and the CD is not out yet. All in all, Beetlejuice is a fun and entertaining show.

For more about Beetlejuice or to purchase tickets, visit beetlejuicebroadway.com.

And that's our view. Tune in tomorrow for a Saturday Special.

Photo credits: All Beetlejuice production photos by Matthew Murphy