Beetlejuice features music and lyrics by Eddie Perfect and a book by Scott Brown and Anthony King. The Alex Timbers-helmed production begins previews on March 28 with opening night set for April 25 for an open run.
SYNOPSIS: Lydia Deetz is a strange and unusual teenager who is obsessed with the whole “being dead" thing. Lucky for Lydia, her new house is haunted by a recently deceased couple and a degenerate demon who happens to have a thing for stripes. When Lydia calls on this ghost-with-the-most to scare away her insufferable parents, Beetlejuice comes up with the perfect plan, which involves exorcism, arranged marriages and an adorable girl scout who gets scared out of her wits.
CAST: Alex Brightman (Beetlejuice), Sophia Anne Caruso (Lydia Deetz), Rob McClure (Adam Maitland), Kerry Butler (Barbara Maitland), Leslie Kritzer (Delia Deetz), Adam Dannheisser (Charles Deetz), Danny Rutigliano (Maxie Dean), Jill Abramovitz (Maxine Dean), Kelvin Moon Loh (Otho), Dana Steingold (Girl Scout) Tessa Alves, Gilbert L. Bailey II, Will Blum, Johnny Brantley III, Ryan Breslin, Natalie Charle Ellis, Brooke Engen, Abe Goldfarb, Eric Anthony Johnson, Elliott Mattox, Mateo Melendez, Sean Montgomery, Ramone Owens, Presley Ryan, and Kim Sava.
Everything went pretty smoothly, apart from a couple minor performance errors (ex. one of the performers not catching a prop that was tossed to them - you know, things that could happen at ANY performance). Show never had to stop. Alex Timbers came out and spoke to us before the show, so that was pretty cool.
I didn’t follow the show during tryouts, but I was told that Leslie’s number in Act II is new, and it was probably my favorite of the entire show.
There are a couple things that I hope are corrected before opening (technical and book stuff), but it’s pretty solid overall. Don’t want to spoil anything, so if anyone wants more info then feel free to send me a PM!
Random question, but for anyone seeing in tonight is the playbill the same as it was in DC? I was hoping it would change since I thought that one was too cartoony
Intermission Thoughts: This still needs a lot of work. Dewey Finn never left the building as Brightman plays Beetlejuice almost the same through the whole thing thus far. McClure and Butler are so damn charming and trying their best. Caruso is very good and I’m enjoying her voice. Bravo to the design team as that’s the big positive thus far. No song list in program but so far it’s hit and miss. The jokes are funny but it feels like easy cheap shots. The effects are excellent as are the puppets. Curious to see what Act 2 brings....
TBroadwayBeebe said: "Intermission Thoughts: This still needs a lot of work. Dewey Finn never left the building as Brightman plays Beetlejuice almost the same through the whole thing thus far. McClure and Butler are so damn charming and trying their best. Caruso is very good and I’m enjoying her voice. Bravo to the design team as that’s the big positive thus far. No song list in program but so far it’s hit and miss. The jokes are funny but it feels like easy cheap shots. The effects are excellent as are the puppets. Curious to see what Act 2 brings...."
Yikes! This sounds like DC. Hope the 2nd act improves.
They don’t have a show tomorrow. I wonder if they are going to use that time to rehearse and implement changes based off the audience reactions tonight?
CurtainPullDowner said: "CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY had an 850,000 weekly nut. Geeze."
I can't believe that to be true. That's like Spiderman numbers, and there really wasn't much to Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, as I recall. It was like too small for the theater.
zainmax said: "CurtainPullDowner said: "CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY had an 850,000 weekly nut. Geeze." I can't believe that to be true. That's like Spiderman numbers, and there really wasn't much to Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, as I recall. It was like too small for the theater."
36 in cast + 18 in the orchestra isn't cheap, but I would guess that the running cost was closer to $700/750K than 850. Unless there was some crazy royalty pool that involved paying the UK creative team even if they weren't involved with the US production, along with the film authors and Dahl estate? (Pure speculation.)
$850 wouldn't be insane nowadays for a big musical, or one with a star... I bet DOLLY was north of 850, and KONG is probably close to it.
SomethingPeculiar said: "zainmax said: "CurtainPullDowner said: "CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY had an 850,000 weekly nut. Geeze." I can't believe that to be true. That's like Spiderman numbers, and there really wasn't much to Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, as I recall. It was like too small for the theater."
36 in cast + 18 in the orchestra isn't cheap, but I would guess that the running cost was closer to $700/750Kthan850. Unless there was some crazy royalty pool that involved paying the UK creative team even if they weren't involved with the US production, along with the film authorsand Dahl estate? (Pure speculation.)
$850 wouldn't be insane nowadays for a big musical, or one with a star... I bet DOLLY was north of 850, and KONG is probably close to it."
Would the royalties be included in the weekly nut?
Also, do you think Charlie and the Chocolate Factory cost more or less than Beetlejuice both in terms of cap and weekly nut?
What a night this been, what a rare mood I’m in, but it’s not like that felling called love.
What I’m feeling is more akin to Maria’s advanced state of shock.
Where to even begin. There is a camp/cringefest production number near the end of act two in which In My Life skeletons dance around the stage to my jaw-dropping disbelief.
The show begins with Lydia singing a weepy ballad, after which Beetlejuice pops out and says to the audience, “A ballad already? And such a departure from the source material!” Ok, so they’re not going to give us the movie- I’m down- but then throughout the evening they do end up putting in plenty of the gags and lines from the film, so not as much of a departure as we were originally led to believe.
The biggest change is one certainly made for the worse and that’s one of time. Beetlejuice is a dark comedy most assuredly, but it’s also scary, creepy, eerie and downright weird. The film also has style to spare. The musical goes for comedy, but none of the darkness and certainly none of the scary/weird/eccentric vibe. Instead we get jokes about kale salads, kombucha tasting like armpit and crowded Trader Joe’s parking lots. Jokes that wouldn’t even make their way out of The Big Bang Theory writer’s room.
The score is bad; the songs are tuneful I guess, but those lyrics! Myself here does NOT rhyme with help here! I guess it’s better than his score to King Kong, but talk about the lowest of bars to step over.
I’ll give the actors a lot of credit. They really are trying to make this work. I really have a big soft spot for Rob McClure and Kerry Butler and long to see them in better roles soon.
At one point in the show Beetlejuice threatens that even though his name is on the marquee, he will leave the show and we’ll be stuck with Rob and Kerry’s characters. “Yeah they’re boring. Even more boring than Brigadoon. I’ll say it: Fvck Brigadoon.” Well, let me tell you, I longed to hear Kelli O’Hara sing even 30 seconds of Brigadoon than listen to one more second of this score.
Mama Morton taught us about the importance of reciprocity, so let me return the favor: Fvck Beetlejuice!
Marie: Don't be in such a hurry about that pretty little chippy in Frisco.
Tony: Eh, she's a no chip!
Who the flying f*ck is this Eddie Perfect guy and which producer's daughter did he hold captive in his basement in order to get two big Broadway shows?
I loathed this show in DC and was truly disappointed by it. Beetlejuice has always been a film that I've thought would make a perfect musical, but they really screwed this one up. The score was just awful. Was there anyone there tonight that saw it in DC? I'd love to know how it compares.
Also, stop it with Brightman. He plays the same coke head in every role.
zainmax said: "Would the royalties be included in the weekly nut?
Also, do you think Charlie and the Chocolate Factory cost more or less than Beetlejuice both in terms of cap and weekly nut?"
Royalties would be part of the weekly nut.
Don't know about cost comparisons, I haven't seen BJ. WB mostly self-financed Charlie, whereas BJ has a bunch of outside co-producer/investors.
Regardless, $21mil is huge. Especially since screen-to-stage adaptations of similarly beloved properties like Groundhog Day, Charlie, Rocky, Ghost, 9 to 5, and Big Fish all tanked.
joined:1/15/18
joined:
1/15/18
Posted: 3/25/19 at 3:01pm