Review: BEETLEJUICE at Ed Mirvish Theatre

As a downtrodden teen clad in black while mournfully proclaiming that I, myself, am strange and unusual, the iconic Tim Burton film Beetlejuice was kept close to my dark heart. Eerily bizarre and chock full of campy yet raunchy humor, Beetlejuice didn't instill fear but rather brought delight in what is otherwise a morbid subject - death. Now, on the heels of the recently released Beetlejuce sequel, the CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre welcomes the zany Beetle demon himself to shock and spook Toronto audiences.

Similar to the 1988 movie staring Michael Keaton and Winona Rider, Beetlejuce The Musical - directed by Alex Timbers - features Lydia Deetz (portrayed in this performance by Emilia Tagliani but is regularly played by Madison Mosley), a teenager mourning the loss of her beloved mother. Rather than being allowed the time to grieve, her father Charles (Jesse Sharp) uproots and moves Lydia and himself to a new home with the help of hired life coach, and his current fling, Delia (Sarah Litzsinger). Little does Charles know, their new home is still inhabited by the former recently deceased owners Barbara (Megan McGinnis) and Adam (Will Burton) Maitland. 

The Maitlands' futile attempts to scare the Deetzes away attracts the likes of Beetlejuice (Justin Collette) who's interference in the life and afterlife of Lydia and the Maitlands becomes more than anyone could bargain for.

One thing that kept me entranced with the 1988 movie was how nuanced it was. Yes, it was a spooky and fantastical comedic movie aimed at young teens but it was one that aimed high rather than allowing us to be lured in with low hanging fruit. It was this subtle nuance that I miss with the stage production. Of course, musical stage productions are meant to be over the top spectacles and this delivers on all fronts. However, there were nuances with the characters, in particular Lydia, that I found lacking. The original Lydia had a forelorn soul that was further triggered by the death of her mother and I didn't feel that this current portrayal of Lydia fully captured that.

However, Collette's Beetlejuice stole the show. He is exactly what the audience wants Beetlejuice to be - completely vulgar, wholly unapologetic, unabashedly unashamed, and even perverted. His moments of breaking the fourth wall to acknowledge the audience became great comedic throwbacks and hats off to that impressive extra long note he held. 

The set design by David Korins greatly captures the Tim Burton whimsy from the slight detail of every door and window being more than slightly askew, to the dizzying swirling frames, and the creepy twisted tree in the graveyard. The piece that sold it for me was the inclusion of the multi-limbed sculpture, an iconic part of the original movie. 

Despite my hangups, Beetlejuice The Musical hits enough of the correct nostalgic notes to make for one electrifying night at the theatre. Not to be missed. 

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