I'm really enjoying it, despite initially having strong feelings both for and against the radical reinvention of the material. Also, it's fun to have a show where every single role is a slightly grotesque character-actor role, without much of that "conservatory polish" that makes some shows sound so homogeneous.
I’m really enjoying it too. It’s not what Elfman would have written but it’s mostly fun and the performers are able to elevate some of the weaker moments. Songs I initially didn’t care for like “Invisible” and “That Beautiful Sound” are growing on me after repeated listening. I appreciate the amount of dialogue included as well so it’s easier to follow the story. They could have gone the pop route and just recorded a bunch of singles and I’m glad they didn’t do that.
I love Danny Elfman a lot, and I've loved all his musicals (even the weaker ones), but he has a clear love-hate relationship with the musical theatre form, and loves to get abstract and Brechtian instead of digging into character or plot. Maybe that would have been a good approach for Beetlejuice? Maybe? But it wouldn't have been as fun, and Beetlejuice has to be fun-driven.
I think Elfman would have had to collaborate with a real theatre co-lyricist. An Elfman score would have been interesting, but could have also ended up like Henry Mancini with Victor/Victoria or Andre Previn with Coco (aka, bad results).
My biggest problem with Beetlejuice is that the pop/rock aesthetic doesn't jive at all with the macabre/weird/whimsical goings-on of the plot. Danny Elfman's film score captures it perfectly, needless to say.
Interesting that Eddie Perfect claimed his goal was to create a "demented carnival" sound with his contribution, when the final results don't match that in the slightest.
I won’t be able to download this in its entirety until I get home, but I’ve listened to several snippets while working today and it makes me even MORE EXCITED to see this in 43 days! Wooohoo!
I also am really enjoying. And wow Dead Mom is definitely not the best lyrically I love the orchestrations and the background vocals. I think this is pretty much on par with Mean Girls.
I love it and I'm so glad we finally have it, however... I feel a little cheated.
How come the Tootsie OBCR is literally the full show in audio form but Beetlejuice's is condensed down? Especially when it was SO highly anticipated?
Not only did they leave out two reprises (TWBDT Reprise 3 & TBS Reprise) but they also didn't include Good Old-Fashioned Wedding for some reason?
I know it was unlikely anyway, but after promises of getting some of the cut songs from DC, I can only hope it sells well enough to prompt a deluxe release with DC songs and the missing songs.
InTheBathroom1 said: "This album is a strong reminder that Leslie Kritzer was robbed of a Tony nom."
THANK YOU.
Also, I loved this when I saw it, but I'm pleasantly surprised by how easy it is to listen to. Particularly love that they kept in the opening to "The Whole Being Dead Thing".
The score is coming off across so much stronger on this album than it did in the theater. Some of the songs are really growing on me, particularly the finale, which actually has some very moving lyrics from Lydia.
I'm probably the only person who thinks this, but I think the lyrics are the best part of this. I know slant rhymes are a big turn off for some people, but I think there's a lot of creativity in their word choice and placement in a sentence (like rhyming "apple pie" with "pedophi-les" in the Girl Scout song), even if the rhymes aren't always perfect. It reminds me a lot of Tim Minchin, although I'd rank Minchin's work better than Eddie Perfect.
The worst part about Alex Brightman's performance is that he's trying to emulate Michael Keaton's gravelly voice too much, and it's hiding his higher register. Sophia Anne Caruso has a fantastic voice, and it was so shocking to find out she's only 17. The amount of control and range she has in her singing at such a young age is astounding.
The biggest problem with the songs is the same problem as the rest of the show: it's just way too much. Speaking as someone who loves complex, literate patter lyrics, there is too much info in each song given at too quick a clip even for me. There are songs in something like Hamilton that have a lot of information given to the audience a lot of info quickly as well, but there are also songs that are slower and give the audience a chance to breathe and parse through the text. Beetlejuice is like if every song in Hamilton was as fast as "Guns and Ships" or "Washington on Your Side".
It is the quick clip and rapid fire delivery that i really enjoyed. In the theater, I caught all of it. That is kind of what impressed me in that they did it well. A lot of the music sounds the same but thelyrics and delivery make up for that in my opinion.
InTheBathroom1 said: "Anybody else love the recording except for all of Beetlejuice’s songs? I keep skipping them"
I'm the opposite. I like Beetlejuice's songs and I don't care as much for the Maitlands or the parents. I'm not as big a fan of "Dead Mom" like everyone else seems to be. I enjoy the performance but I don't really care for the song. "Home" is better.
joined:6/2/17
joined:
6/2/17
Posted: 6/7/19 at 7:23am