Rich Mehrenberg — Theater Critic

While you don’t need to be a Neil Diamond super-fan, it doesn’t hurt to have a basic familiarity with his catalog. The opening night audience seemed to be heavily populated by seniors. However, the story, the songs, and the production can be easily enjoyed by a wide range of ages.

While the show is supposed to be a celebration of girl power and independence, I was a little disappointed at the specific choices made by the characters, most specifically Juliet, who runs away to Francre and falls in love with the first guy she sees (again). Other complications soften the blow, but why not create an alternaitve universe where Juliet improves herself or others around her that doesn't rely on a romantic entanglement.

Justin Collette plays the ghost with the most, Beetlejuice. On the positive side, Collette tried to make the character his own rather than channel Michael Keaton. On the negative side, his portrayal wasn’t especially endearing. I would describe him as a combination of Robin Williams meets Daffy Duck meets naughty Sponge Bob. On paper this might seem like non-stop fun, but over the course of two plus hours, it gets tiring.