By Jason and Alisha Hagey; Front Row Reviewers
Ostensibly a show about death, Broadway Across America’s production of Beetlejuice is a musical about living. And, whether we are corporeal or not, it is about belonging. Looking around the audience at The George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Theater, one cannot help but notice that this “belonging” truly encapsulates the audience demographic almost as much as the show. Beetlejuice captures the imagination, and the character of Lydia Deetz is an obvious avatar for many of us who feel “strange and unusual,” and alone, unseen, or invisible. This musical has a fandom that is fiercely loyal and like comic conventions, there is a lot of dressing up and reflecting this fandom through clothing. Loads of black and white. Hints of green. Plenty of combat and Dr. Martens boots. The voracious fans of Beetlejuice are a testament to the musical’s enduring meaningfulness in our lives – and deservedly so.
Alex Timbers (Director), Eddie Perfect (Music and Lyrics), and Scott Brown and Anthony King (Book) transformed the cult classic 1988 film (written by Michael McDowell, Larry Wilson, and Warren Skaaren, and directed by Tim Burton) into a spectacle for the stage that is side-splitting hilarious and candy for the eyes and ears. While most characters from the film are also in the musical, the plot diverges and takes on a life of its own. We accompany Lydia as she deals with grief after her mother has died. She feels isolated in her pain and in many ways is. We follow her struggle to connect and find meaning all while battling her very real demon in the form of Beetlejuice.
The character of Beetlejuice is aware that he is a character in a stage musical and ridicules this by breaking the fourth wall and speaking directly to the audience to comical effect. His references to other musicals and popular culture are often overt, sometimes hidden, but always intelligent and witty. Michael Biren (Beetlejuice) has fluid comic timing and explodes on the stage with his larger-than-life persona. Biren is a joy to watch, and he is able to turn a phrase with delight. He bounces, he bobbles, and even surprisingly humanizes the villainous, demonic ghost.
As exceptional as Biren is, Isabella Esler’s (Lydia Deetz) voice is the real star of the show. She’s perfect as Lydia, her demeanor and her physical look are quintessentially Lydia, but when she opens her mouth to sing, she becomes something altogether different: extraordinary. A special shout out here to The Telsey Office, Rachel Hoffman, CSA (Casting) for getting this incredible actress on stage for this production. Her songs are excellent, but Esler makes each of them a showstopper. The “strange and unusual” girl goes from gothic icon to goddess every time she breaks into song. The powerful belting and the full-throttle sound of Esler’s voice metamorphosize the whole stage with her presence. Esler is a talent whose career will be one to watch.
Britney Coleman (Barbara Maitland) and Will Burton (Adam Maitland) are dynamic and fun. Their chemistry is refreshing and they take on difficult roles that require them to be vanilla ice cream, pedestrian, and everyman, but they perform Barbara and Adam with panache and zest. Their undercurrent of love is palpable, and their enthusiasm is foundational to the whole show. Coleman and Burton reflect the goodness of everyday people with beautiful confidence.
Starting out as two-dimensional plot points, Jesse Sharp (Charles) and Kate Marilley (Delia), transform into well-rounded, thoughtful, and meaningful characters figuring out their own grief while searching for family and acceptance. They are sincere and hopeful, silly and sad, and human. Above all, they are human. Sharp brings depth to his role as Lydia’s father who is grieving as much as she is, broken inside and finding difficulty connecting with his daughter. Sharp plays this part well with pure empathy. Marilley, at first, comes across as a cartoon, but as the show progresses, she finds warmth and injects unexpected wholesomeness into this otherwise flamboyant character. The two actors flourish in these roles, turning our expectations on their heads and making something more of these characters.
Abe Goldfarb (Ortho), Danielle Marie Gonzalez (Miss Argentina), Kris Roberts (Maxine Dean), Brian Vaughn (Maxie Dean), and Jackera Davis (Girl Scout) give pure joy. Each of them has singular moments in the story but brings such warmth. Gonzalez and Davis stole my heart. I love them. The entire ensemble is brilliant.
Bold and beautiful, the creative team for Beetlejuice is remarkable. Peter Nigrini’s Projection Design is almost the first piece to tantalize the audience. The stage is set, digitally. We watch the background transport us to the scene of a funeral. Immediately following is William Ivey Long’s Costume Design. It’s lush and moody and layered. The textures used give us so much grounding for the characters themselves. Long somehow is able to weave all of these pieces, referencing back to the original and creating something new and fresh.
David Korins (Scenic Design) gives Easter Egg after Easter Egg. Honoring Burton’s aesthetic, the set takes on a life of its own. It lives and breaths in every incarnation. It’s a feast for the senses. Korin’s design alone makes the show worth coming to see. You have the same walls and frame and yet it switches throughout to be 3 iterations of the same floorplan. It’s bonkers. It knows it is and leans in. All I can say is, I’m here for the wild ride.
What would Beetlejuice be without its creatures? Michael Curry (Puppet Design) brings the whimsy. From the extra limbs on the rooftop scene to the infamous Sandworm, Curry delights. Jerry Chernick (Special Effects Design) and Michael Weber (Illusions) make magic on stage. I would love to have a few more sets of eyes to take in all that happens. Beetlejuice has all the spectacle of a Vegas Show mixed with the delight of theatre.
Living or dead, belonging is a human need. This has never meant that we necessarily “fit in,” because that would mean conformity and that’s not the same as belonging. Instead, belonging is about being loved, not in spite of our uniqueness and flaws but because of them. In the end, Beetlejuice is a musical that reminds us that human beings need to be loved for who they are. It doesn’t matter that each character is vastly different than the other because the characters belong with the rest of them due to love and devotion. Overflowing with explosive, laugh-out-loud moments, Beetlejuice is filled with heart and as much about the belonging of fans as it is about the belonging of the characters.
Recommended for 10+. Parental discretion is advised. Please note that this show contains strong language and mature references. During the performances theatrical smoke and strobe-like effects will be used.
Zions Bank/Broadway at the Eccles Presents: Beetlejuice
Music and lyrics by Eddie Perfect and book by Scott Brown and Anthony King
The George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Theater
131 Main St, Salt Lake City, UT 84111
Duration: 2 hrs, 30 mins with 1 intermission.
August 8 – 13, 2023
August 8th: 7:30 PM
August 9th: 7:30 PM
August 10th: 8:00 PM
August 11th: 8:00 PM
August 12th: 2:00 PM
August 12th: 8:00 PM
August 13th: 1:00 PM
August 13th: 6:30 PM
Tickets are $125-250
Beetlejuice on Broadway
Broadway at the Eccles
Purchase Tickets at ArtTix.org
Eccles Theater Website
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Audio Description: Friday, Aug 11, 2023, at 8:00 PM
The spoken narration of the performance’s key visual elements. This option is available on the following performances. Devices are available at the Patron Services window in the main lobby.
Open Captioned: Saturday, Aug 12, 2023, at 2:00 PM
During our captioning performances, we offer a screen near the stage that will provide live captions throughout the show. Patrons who are interested in the captioned performance should select seats located at Orchestra Right on the Main Floor (excluding Orchestra Pit seating).
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