Review: BEETLEJUICE Tour Is a Living Nightmare (in a Good Way!) at Broadway San Jose

It's easy to see why Beetlejuice, the screen-to-stage adaptation of Tim Burton's beloved 1998 cult-classic film, earned eight 2019 Tony Award nominations including Best Musical. It is to die for. With clever songs by Eddie Perfect and a book by Scott Brown & Anthony King, the team rightly puts the spotlight on the over-the-top, high-energy slapstick comedy of the hilarious Ryan Stajmiger as the millennia-old demon "Beetlejuice." But this show's Bay Area stay at Broadway San Jose R.I.P.s on April 5, so get your tickets now for a killer time at the theatre.

Even though death and the Netherworld hold court throughout, it is the "make 'em laugh" energy of the show that wins the day. We meet the long-dead Beetlejuice at the funeral of Emily Deetz, who is being mourned by her goth teenage daughter Lydia Deetze (Leianna Weaver absolutely shines as the darkly morose teen), and her not-so-mourning dad, Charles (Jeff Brooks is the perfect slightly sleazy father). Lydia's despondency has led her dad to hire a life coach named Delia (deliriously played by Bailey Frankenberg), who just so happens to be Dad's new girlfriend.

Soon, Beetlejuice introduces us to homeowners Barbara (Kaitlin Feely) and Adam (David Wilson) Maitland, a young, strait-laced couple who are about to die in their home. And boom! They're gone. (Feely and Wilson embody their respective roles to hilarious effect.) As luck would have it, Charles, a real estate developer, buys the house and moves in with an unhappy Lydia in two. But the recently deceased Maitlands are not ready to give up the ghost just yet. Gosh darn it, it's their house! So, Beetlejuice suggests they haunt the new homeowners away. Hijinks ensue. Yes, it's predictable, but it is so well done that you just have to roll with it, and this San Jose audience absolutely loved every moment of this iconic show.

It's as if tour director Catie David told her creative team to let their imaginations run wild with Beetlejuice, and wo, do they have fun. David Korins' set is ghoulishly fantastical and works hand-in-glove with Peter Nigrini's projections and Kenneth Posner's dazzling light design. Charles LaPointe must have had a blast creating the icone upward hairdo for Beetlejuice, while Jeremy Chernick and Michael Weber provide an extravaganza of special effects and illusions.

Okay, everyone, it's showtime! The drop-dead funny national tour of Beetlejuice, now playing at Broadway San Jose, is a grave delight. Go see it now through April 5th. It's a laugh riot that will knock you dead.

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