BEETLEJUICE THE MUSICAL is a strange and entertaining spectacle. I first watched Tim Burton’s 1988 classic Halloween film BEETLEJUICE a couple weeks ago in preparation for seeing this musical, and I was curious about how it would translate to a stage musical. Interestingly, I think composer/lyricist Eddie Perfect and book writers Scott Brown and Anthony King have made the narrative tauter than the film — and they’ve inserted plenty of musical theater in-jokes along the way. While the title character makes sporadic appearances in the movie, the musical gives us more Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice. The musical centers the lonely, bizarre, and sexually deviant (markedly more so than in the movie) bio-exorcist, who sets his sights on the recently deceased Adam and Barbara Maitland. Overall, it’s a fun, wacky show that works better than I expected. BEETLEJUICE isn’t at all serious, but it’s a good time.
While the Mailtands are the driving force in the film for Beetlejuice’s appearance, here he becomes the show’s accelerant and narrator. In his opening number “The Whole ‘Being Dead’ Thing,” Beetlejuice invites audiences into the world of the show, welcoming them plainly to a show about death. In this staging, Beetlejuice’s main partner-in-crime is teenager Lydia Deetz. While she was a sullen, snarky teenager in the movie, the musical makes Lydia’s grief over her mother’s death a central explanation for her snark. The musical posits that Lydia’s not weird; she’s lonely and sad in a world that’s asking her to move on before she’s ready. In this way, the musical brings Beetlejuice and Lydia together in their loneliness; while that doesn’t make the musical as deep or emotional as it wants to be, it’s a logical connection for the two characters.
Beetlejuice is the king of wacky stage antics, but he’s also the master of lewd, crass jokes and double entendres in this musical, and he delivers them with abandon. While I wasn’t necessarily bothered by this, I don’t think the sexually explicit content adds much. Some of the jokes are funny, but most of them aren’t. Perfect’s score and lyrics are cohesive. The songs are enjoyable and fit together well — Beetlejuice’s opening number and Lydia’s first big solo “Dead Mom” are definitely among the catchiest and most successful.
Directed by Alex Timbers and choreographed by Connor Gallagher, BEETLEJUICE excels most at being an entertaining, high-energy, visually appealing musical theater wonder. David Korins’s expansive set has many tricks up its sleeve, and William Ivey Long’s lavish costumes wash the production in color and pay homage to the film’s iconic looks. What’s really needed to make BEETLEJUICE entertaining are stellar performances. And as wacky as this musical is, the ensemble sells it.
Justin Collette seems like he’s having the time of his life as Beetlejuice. Colette has energy for days, and his decision to start the performance at a 10-out-of-10 and somehow keep barreling up from there makes total sense for the character. He has great voice acting and physicality on display; and though Beetlejuice might have some bizarre insecurities about being a lonely, dead man, Collette commands the stage without a seeming care in the world.
Megan McGinnis and Will Burton are sweet and charming as Barbara and Adam Maitland, who long to find a way to chase the Deetzes out of their beloved home and find some peace. Collette, McGinnis, and Burton have fun energy together. While the Maitlands are certainly the straight characters of the show, McGinnis and Burton bring enough brightness and daffiness to their performances to justify the takes. Kate Marilley is outsized and overdramatic as Delia, Charles Deetz’s new girlfriend and Lydia’s life coach. She’s playing the antics to the fullest. And while there’s not much meat to the role, Jesse Sharp is pleasant as Charles.
I think the writers’ decision to spend far less time in the Netherworld than the movie does is a wise one, even if it doesn’t make dramaturgical sense that Lydia would run into hell to try to find her mother — with her father chasing after her. And while Miss Argentina’s number “What I Know Now” is a great vehicle for the performer (at this performance, understudy Lexie Dorsett Sharp), it’s an easy cut from the show.
Likewise, though BEETLEJUICE isn’t shy about giving its title character a whole host of sexual jokes, the musical still hasn’t resolved the icky plotline about Beetlejuice and Lydia’s marriage. In this stage version, Beetlejuice declares loudly and repeatedly that “it’s a green card marriage” — meaning it will offer him entry back into the land of the living. It’s probably the best way possible to explain that creepy plot point, but it remains decidedly unnerving in a musical that’s more about fun than scares.
Still, Colette is a real star performer as Beetlejuice. The show’s undisputed other star is Isabella Esler, a recent high school graduate making her professional debut as Lydia. Esler has a dreamy musical theater belt and a big voice, and she’s fantastic at portraying all of Lydia’s snark and grief. I found her performance immensely funny and touching. Colette and Lydia also have fantastic on-stage rapport. Watching the antics between Beetlejuice and Lydia — and these two specific performers — is the reason to see this show. BEETLEJUICE isn’t trodding new territory, but the musical works better than I expected because the writing choices tighten the narrative and the performers really go for it.
The Broadway In Chicago tour engagement of BEETLEJUICE THE MUSICAL plays the Auditorium Theatre through November 19, 2023. The production returns to Chicago from May 21-26, 2024.
Visit BroadwayInChicago.com for tickets.
Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy
FAQs about BEETLEJUICE Broadway (Updated October 2025)
Where can you see the BEETLEJUICE musical? The national touring company of BEETLEJUICE THE MUSICAL plays a limited run at the Palace Theatre, 1564 Broadway, New York, NY, 10036.
How long is BEETLEJUICE on Broadway running? The limited engagement plays through January 3, 2026.
Where can you buy tickets for BEETLEJUICE Broadway? Tickets for the BEETLEJUICE musical are available at beetlejuicebroadway.com/.
Rachel Weinberg Reviews 