‘Beetlejuice’–The Show About Death–Is Still Kicking and Back at Playhouse Square

The national tour of “Beetlejuice” will have visited 88 cities before returning to Broadway on Oct. 8. The tour began in Dec. 2022, making one of its first stops in Cleveland in early 2023. Over two-and-a-half years later, “Beetlejuice” returns to Playhouse Square for a limited run.

Clevelanders have the special privilege of seeing the tour at the beginning and end of its run. Despite being the same production, returning tours like this sometimes don’t offer up the same show. Performing in 88 cities and spending almost three years on the road can take a toll and prolonged productions can lose steam, especially for a demanding show like “Beetlejuice.”

It’s a delight to report that the production currently at Playhouse Square is just as full of life (and death) as it was during its first visit to Cleveland.

Based on Tim Burton’s 1988 film, the musical tells the tale of Lydia Deetz, a lonely teenager mourning her recently deceased mother. When Lydia, her absent father and his eccentric new love interest move into a new house, they are blissfully unaware that the ghosts of the past owners are haunting the home. Those recently deceased owners are a young couple, Adam and Barbara Maitland, who never got around to accomplishing everything they wanted before their demise. Enter Beelejuice, a mischievous demon with nefarious intent who believes he can manipulate Lydia and the Maitlands into helping him become mortal.

The “Beetlejuice” adaptation, with music and lyrics by Eddie Perfect and a book by Scott Brown and Anthony King, opened on Broadway in 2019. It ran for less than a year after having to close due to the pandemic. It returned to Broadway in 2022 and will return once again for a 13-week run in less than two months.

While the musical version of the movie deviates from the source material in more than a few ways, it pays plenty of homage to the 1988 cult classic. The many black and white, stripe-clad “Beetlejuice” fans in the audience will be happy to know that the creative elements are as Burton as it gets.

Andy Grobengieser leads a swinging band through over twenty musical numbers, including “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)” and “Jump in the Line (Shake, Senora),” two songs that have become synonymous with the “Beetlejuice” franchise. The score is full of sweeping ballads and punchy songs that will entertain from curtain rise to close.

David Korins’ set design is full of off-kilter, whimsical walls and unrealistic angles. The production uses projections by Peter Nigrini to add even greater dimension and flavor to Korins’ design, often employing a ‘sketchy’ artistic style reminiscent of “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”

The creative team ensured that there is no risk of “Beetlejuice” losing your attention. Kenneth Posner’s lighting fluctuates as often as Beetlejuice makes inappropriate comments (which is to say, a lot). If the topsy-turvy set and dynamic projections weren’t enough visual stimuli, Jeremy Chernick’s special effects will keep you on your toes and Michael Weber’s illusions will pull you in. That’s not even to mention Michael Curry’s fantastical, larger-than-life puppets or the high-octane choreography by Connor Gallagher.

Embodying the devious bio-exorcist on opening night was Marc Ginsburg. Ginsburg uses a gravelly voice and spasmodic physicality to successfully emulate Michael Keaton’s original Beetlejuice character. The musical version of Beetlejuice is given more opportunities for redemption than the film version. The show sacrifices some creepiness for humor, but it’s a smart exchange for the stage. Ginsburg delivers joke after joke with relentless pacing, and they all land.

Madison Mosley plays the morose, mourning Lydia. She delivers her lines with an appropriate amount of teen angst and snark. Lydia is given multiple ballads throughout the show, and while Mosley hits all the high notes, more focus on enunciation would allow her heart-bearing songs to leave a larger impact.

Beetlejuice persuades the Maitland ghosts that they must scare the new inhabitants from their house. Eager to make changes in what he considers an outdated home is Charles, Lydia’s father. Jesse Sharp’s Charles is at first aloof, but develops enough heart throughout the show to earn sympathy.

Before the move, Charles hired life coach Delia to help Lydia find her joy again. The ditzy, mystical Delia was played by Katie Griffith on opening night. Griffith’s portrayal of Delia is airy yet authentic, making the character rather likable, which is a welcome diversion from the evil step-mother stereotype.

Will Burton and Megan McGinnis play the newly-dead couple. The Maitlands are woefully good-hearted and dorky, much to Beetlejuice’s disappointment. Burton and McGinnis give pure, delightful performances of the vanilla characters. Their awkward dancing and heartfelt attempts at being scary are a pure source of mirth.

The hyper-saturated visual elements of the production are practically a show in themselves. Add in a few characters with massive personalities and a high-energy ensemble, and you get a show that hardly ever pauses to catch its breath. It’s a true testament to the cast and crew of “Beetlejuice” that they can consistently deliver such a demanding show with such intensity and vigor after nearly three years of touring.

It might be a show about death, but the energy behind “Beetlejuice” is alive and well.

“Beetlejuice” runs through Aug. 17 at Playhouse Square,1501 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland. Visit playhousesquare.org or call (216) 241-6000 for tickets, $30-$150.

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