Aaron Wallace

Mamma Mia! just kicked off its two-week tour stop at Orlando’s Dr. Phillips Center, and though I may have gone in with something of an “SOS,” I walked out a tune-humming ABBAite, grateful to have finally found my way into the club.

Defying everything I know to be true about musical comedy, this show made me laugh embarrassingly loud and consistently across both acts. Even with a very broad running joke about a character who shouts whenever he lies. (It shouldn’t work, but with Aaron Kaburick in the role, it’s undeniable.) Even with a plot that relies on an impossibly farcical series of misunderstandings. And even without Robin Williams playing the title character, whose entire persona should depend upon Robin Williams playing her.

But when it comes time for the iconic “Don’t Rain On My Parade,” which is technically perfect in McCrimmon’s delivery, I can’t help but notice that the room isn’t alive with the same electricity that had Broadway patrons hovering above their seats waiting to explode into a mid-song standing ovation for Michele.

If you came for spookish vibes and special effects, then, as the title character says… “It’s showtime!” BEETLEJUICE is a full-fledged haunted house on stage, and that makes for an undeniably fun night. But if you’re looking for memorable music or clever comedy, I’m afraid this review reads more like an obituary. As a musical rather than a magic show, BEETLEJUICE is dead on arrival.