Review: BEETLEJUICE at Century II Concert Hall

OMG what a fun time I had experiencing BEETLEJUICE at Century II last night!  The audience was having a blast, whooping and hollering, and gave the cast a standing ovation at the end of it all! This is not going to be my usual in depth review, as I wanted to get this out quickly before the show leaves town! Besides, something this entertaining doesn’t need a deep dive, although I could go there.

Based on Tim Burton’s dearly beloved 1988 film, this hilarious and irreverant musical tells the story of Lydia Deetz, a strange and unusual teenager whose whole life changes when she meets a recently deceased couple and a demon with a thing for stripes.The original score is by Tony Award nominee Eddie Perfect, with a book by Tony Award nominee Scott Brown and Tony and Emmy Award nominee Anthony King. BEETLEJUICE is directed beautifully by Tony Award® winner Alex Timbers (Moulin Rouge!), with incredibly athletic choreography by Connor Gallagher (The Robber Bridegroom).

The fourth wall was broken quite a bit last night by the man in the titular role, Matt Kurzyniec. Kurzyniec is a powerhouse performer, blessed with a great voice, full of gregarious energy, replete with witty comebacks to all hecklers! A Detroit native and Western Michigan Grad, Kurzyniec has many Broadway and National Tour creds. He’s matched ably by CCM graduate Madison Mosley, who plays Lydia. Mosley has a perfect rock belt, and it was a joy to listen to her fill the room with so much emotion. Playing the normal, lovable but naive couple who become ghosts in their home are Broadway veterans Megan McGinnis (Barbara) and Will Burton (Adam). McGinnis’ beautiful lyric soprano blends so beautifully with Burton’s smooth tenor, and their harmonies are heavenly!

We also get to meet Lydia’s wealthy dad, Charles, played exceptionally well by Jesse Sharp, and his Life Coach turned girlfriend, Delia, played to the hilt by Sarah Litzsinger. The first act ended with the Delia leading the iconic DAY-O (The Banana Boat Song)! Shout out to the amazing Ensemble, who brought to life a dozen or so iconic characters from the movie, including Marc Ginsburg, who played the most annoying Otho; Maria Sylvia Norris, who played Juno, and also the obnoxious Maxine Dean, to Travis Mitchell’s equally obnoxious Maxie;  Veronica Fiaoni, giving us the green Salsa flavored Miss Argentina; and my favorite, Emilia Tagliani, who played the Girl Scout with arrhythmia! And of course, the show ended with the much beloved Shake, Señora! I was hoping my favorite character, the shrunken head guy, would show up, and HE DID! I was so excited.

BEETLEJUICE features some incredible design elements, including a cartoonish, forced perspective set  designed by three-time Tony Award nominee David Korins (Hamilton), a sublime costume design by six-time Tony Award winner William Ivey Long (Wicked), and an explosive, florescent, and at times lurid, audience blinding lighting design by Tony Award winner Kenneth Posner (Kinky Boots). The bone shaking sound design is by Tony Award winner Peter Hylenski (Moulin Rouge!), along with clever Burton-esque projection designs by Tony Award nominee and Drama Desk Award winner Peter Nigrini (Dear Evan Hansen. A larger than life sandworm puppet was design by Drama Desk Award winner Michael Curry (The Lion King), with crazy special effects designs by Jeremy Chernick (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child). There were outrageous hair and wigs designed by Drama Desk Award nominee Charles G. LaPointe, with a fantastic array of zombie make-up design by Joe Dulude II.

Get out and see this show! There are 7 more performances left of BEETLEJUICE: Thursday, April 3, 2025, at 2:00 & 7:30 pm; Friday, April 4, 2025, at 7:30 pm; Saturday, April 5, 2025, at 2:00 & 7:30 pm; and Sunday, April 6, 2025, at 1:00 & 6:30 pm. Tickets to BEETLEJUICE are available for purchase at BroadwayWichita.com and Century2.com, or by calling 855-755-7328. Group ticket savings for 10+ are available by contacting Groups@ATGuild.org

Please note: BroadwayWichita.com, Century2.com, SelectASeat.com and the Century II Box Office are the only official sources for tickets to all shows in the 24–25 BROADWAY IN WICHITA Series. If you purchase tickets through another source, you may pay inflated prices and your tickets will not be guaranteed.