OKLAHOMA CITY — The national touring production of Beetlejuice the Musical makes its Oklahoma City debut at the Civic Center through November 24th, 2024. Based on the late 1980s Tim Burton film, which became a cult hit, the stage version expands the original story with added music and character arcs.
With the book by Scott Brown and Anthony King and music by Eddie Perfect, the vibrant stage production features all the iconic cinematic moments that fans expect.
Beetlejuice opened on Broadway in 2019 to much fanfare, becoming a hit and gathering a following of its own. Like all live theater, it faced a forced closure during COVID in 2020. The national tour launched in 2022, and Oklahoma City patrons are getting their chance to see the show for the first time at home.
While the show is certainly a draw for fans of the movie, it’s not a prerequisite. Anyone who’s unfamiliar or perhaps only vaguely aware of the premise will be right at home with this production. The musical follows a similar storyline but is self-reflective and irreverent along the way.
When a happy, “normal” couple, Barbara and Adam, face an untimely death due to an accident, they become ghosts in their own home. Upon realization that they’re dead, they’re met with a spiritual guide of sorts. Beetlejuice haunts their home, unable to affect the world around him. Not quite a ghost, not quite a zombie, but with all tricks and malfeasance, Beetlejuice has a plan. If he can get a living person to speak his name 3 times, he’ll become corporeal and can wreak all the sinister havoc he wants.
When a new family moves in, Beetlejuice sets his sights on their teenage daughter. Lydia Deetz is a pillar of spooky nostalgia. Obsessed with death and mourning the loss of her mother, she wears all black and strikes a bold image, setting the tone for the show and the story to follow.
Understudies and swings are the heartbeat of any touring production, and this time is no different.
It’s a treat to see Marc Ginsburg perform as Beetlejuice. The undead menace is abrasive and gross, inappropriate and jarring, and must be all kinds of fun to portray. Ginsburg is having a blast on stage, making the audience cringe, laugh, and shudder in delight. Ginsburg fully leans into the creep factor, yet he manages to create a likable character out of the would-be villain.
The role that was canonized by Michael Keaton is seen here in a fresh new light. For an old dead weirdo, Ginsburg as Beetlejuice is quite full of life.
Madison Mosley is dynamic and lively as Lydia. The original role in the Burton film was occupied by Winona Ryder, and that portrayal solidified in black ice the notion of a dark, depressed teenager.
A firecracker of a performer, Mosley brings energy and strength to the role. While a storm cloud indeed follows her around, Mosley’s portrayal is bright and, in a word, effervescent. Mosley knocks it out of the park, belting with the best of them and packing a punch with her vocals. She’s everything the character of Lydia deserves, proving an otherworldly determination in combat boots.
Megan McGinnis as Barbara and Will Burton as Adam are comedic relief in a show already full of hilarity and chaos. The ghostly couple hides in the attic, afraid to step out into a world they’ve left behind. With the help of Lydia and some newfound bravery, the two finally get the chance in death they never took in life.
Standout performances are given by Sarah Litzsinger as Delia and Emilia Tagliani as the Girl Scout. They both bring unique characterization and hold their own amongst strong performers.
The reviewed performance on opening night was plagued by a late start and a hold before the curtain rising. Announcements were made as patrons filtered in, and the show cited technical difficulties leading up to the start. These technical elements were smoothed out and the show then went off without a hitch. Projections and special effects were spooky and haunting, and the unpredictable and exciting tricks kept the audience engaged and dazzled throughout the night.
The orchestra, conducted by Andy Grobengieser, didn’t miss a beat. Live music is a welcome, refreshing departure from more recent trends of canned tracks in musicals. Sure, it’s more expensive to hire musicians, but live theatre is called such for a reason. Anything less is cutting corners. Patrons and reviewers alike notice and enjoy a richer experience with live music.
The writers of Beetlejuice have also done justice to the times and have addressed the problematic elements of the original script.
What results is an unapologetic yet transparent plot. Beetlejuice is supposed to be controversial, shocking, and grotesque, but the post-Me Too era dictates some acknowledgment of its faults. This is perhaps best illustrated during the late tune “Creepy Old Guy”.
The cast walks the fine line of self-reflection while acknowledging that it’s all in fun. As a result, the audience is put at ease, and issues are addressed here where the movie failed to do so.
Beetlejuice is not for the faint of heart. It may be a bit too scary for the youngest of patrons. Not quite family-friendly, older kids and those with strong dispositions for mild, thematic scares and some (mostly) harmless innuendo are perfectly suited to attend this show. Fans of the movie will appreciate the nods, and fans of new, refreshing theater will not leave disappointed.
An undead precursor to the holidays is just what we need to liven us up and remind us of the simple joy that being alive has to offer. Beetlejuice The Musical runs until November 24th, 2024 at the Civic Center Music Hall. Tickets are available at okcbroadway.com.
Adrienne Proctor is a theater and arts writer in Oklahoma City. She's been contributing to the arts reporting space since 2017.
