Review: BEETLEJUICE Appears at Broadway Sacramento

Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice! You’ve done it, Sacramento! You’ve summoned the ghost with the most, and you’re going to love every minute of his antics. We first fell in love with him in Tim Burton’s 1988 film, Beetlejuice, starring Michael Keaton as the titular character. Continuing the legend, Eddie Perfect’s music and lyrics set to the 2019 stage production make Beetlejuice The Musical. The Musical. The Musical. one of the few movie to musical adaptations to die for.

Admittedly, I might not be the most unbiased judge. I've been a fan since its inception. If you don’t like dark humor, narcissistic dead guys, and a spookily talented cast, this might not be for you. We are duly warned by the man himself at the beginning of the show, “If you die during tonight’s performance, the show will not stop.” I don’t see how it could – we’re taken on a two-hour funhouse ride of unhinged madness and gothic weirdness. In the best way, of course. The musical loosely follows the 1988 movie, focusing on Lydia Deetz, a teenager who has just lost her mother. When her father, Charles, moves them into a new house, Lydia discovers it’s haunted by a recently deceased couple, Barbara and Adam Maitland. The Maitlands are desperate to reclaim their home, so they enlist the help of a sardonic demon. Enter Beetlejuice, and “it’s showtime!” Chaos reigns as Lydia battles with her life coach/soon-to-be stepmom Delia, her father, and Beetlejuice while simultaneously navigating grief and loneliness.

The emotional weight of the show is carried on the capable shoulders of Leianna Weaver as Lydia. She’s the Wednesday Addams of the Netherworld crew, and belts out black comedy with the best of them (“Dead Mom”) while maintaining a surprising vulnerability. Jeff Brooks and Bailey Frankenberg are a match made in heaven (or the Netherworld?) as Charles and Delia. They own the best numbers, “Day-O” and “Jump in the Line (Shake, Senora),” both thankfully brought over from the film. Kaitlin Feely and David Wilson as the Maitlands are perfectly vanilla, exactly what the roles require…until they figure out that scaring people is fun. Of course, none of that would be possible without that devilishly inappropriate Guy Fieri-lookalike ghoul. Ryan Stajmiger is a treasure. Loud, brash, and utterly captivating, he commands attention and even elicits sympathy. It’s got to be tough growing up with a mom who catalogs the newly dead. Stajmiger shows off his considerable stage presence in numbers like “The Whole ‘Being Dead’ Thing” and “That Beautiful Sound.” His energy is infectious, exhausting, and exhilarating. Beetlejuice is frightfully addicting. You’ll want to go again. Again. Again.

Beetlejuice plays at Broadway Sacramento through February 22nd. Tickets may be purchased online at BroadwaySacramento.com, by phone at (916) 557-1999, or at the Box Office at 1419 H Street in Sacramento.

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