Alan Sherrod — Theater Critic

Interestingly, & Juliet proves that jukebox musicals do not have to be confined to the basement level of the high-rise of theatrical entertainment. Of course, in an age when every show must have a merch table, it can be difficult to say no to vehicles that challenge each other with how fast they can fill the seats with happy theatre-goers. Maybe, & Juliet thinks, we could have both.

West’s creative team of designers know exactly how to augment the story with a colorful kinetic environment. Scenic Designer Stanley A. Meyer, lighting designer Natasha Katz, and video projections by Darrel Maloney keep the narrative moving from village, to forest, to castle. Ann Hould-Ward’s costumes (costumes) add to this visual narrative and character delineation. But perhaps the most fun visual effect is an overhead camera capturing a Busby Berkeley-esque kaleidoscopic dance sequence.

Admittedly, that plot is as thin as cornsilk. Fortunately, the story is glued together by two “Storytellers” (Tyler Joseph Ellis and Maya Lagerstam) who act as narrators by filling in plot details for the audience and imparting a really strong presentational energy. They and the excellent ensemble get the show off to a really decent start with “Corn,” a cleverly choreographed number (choreographer Sarah O’Gleby) that is a visual and performance beauty.

It’s worth mentioning upfront that the creators have taken substantial license with some of the original Burton plot details and characters, replacing comic and cinematic nuances with brash and shallow in-your-face cartoon-ish-ness that is a louder, but a less complex alternative. For example, the role of Beetlejuice himself (Justin Collette, who clearly knows how to entertain an audience) has been inflated into a character that is even more manic and desperate, and admittedly, “more vaudeville.” The character of Delia (Sarah Litzsinger) has been given a somewhat different relationship to Charles (Jesse Sharp) and teenager obsessed-with-death Delia (Isabella Esler) that was a less-than-satisfying departure from the film plot.

It’s worth mentioning upfront that the creators have taken substantial license with some of the original Burton plot details and characters, replacing comic and cinematic nuances with brash and shallow in-your-face cartoon-ish-ness that is a louder, but a less complex alternative. For example, the role of Beetlejuice himself (Justin Collette, who clearly knows how to entertain an audience) has been inflated into a character that is even more manic and desperate, and admittedly, “more vaudeville.” The character of Delia (Sarah Litzsinger) has been given a somewhat different relationship to Charles (Jesse Sharp) and teenager obsessed-with-death Delia (Isabella Esler) that was a less-than-satisfying departure from the film plot.