I knew next-to-nothing about Beetlejuice before I saw the new Broadway musical of the same name.
I never saw the movie. At the time, the film really didn't interest me. It seemed silly -- ridiculous, pure and simple.
But in the past, I've gone to see musicals based on movies or books or even TV shows I knew nothing about and I often found myself enjoying them in a way that others who were more familiar with the material could not.
Well, Beetlejuice was created by Tim Burton so you know it's dark and peppered with abnormal characters.
For those of you who don't know by now, the story goes something like this: After Barbara and Adam (a wholesome young couple) die in an accident, they find themselves stuck haunting their new country residence, unable to leave the house. When the unbearable Deetzes and teen daughter Lydia buy the home, the ghost/former residents attempt to scare them away without success. Their efforts soon attract Beetlejuice, a rambunctious, outrageous character whose "help" quickly becomes dangerous for all involved, especially Lydia.
Playwrights Anthony King and Scott Brown have now brought Beetlejuice to Broadway's cavernous Winter Garden theater with music and lyrics by Eddie Perfect and they've created a show that unfounds like a carnival ride meandering through a hall of mirrors, fun house and parachute drop all rolled into one.
The costumes by William Ivey Long are beyond imaginative; the sets by David Korins are three-dimensionally beguiling and wonderfully animated; the special effects byJeremy Chernick are nothing less than eye-popping and the direction by Alex Tmbers is crisp and snappy.
But, of course, none this would work without the actors And Beetlejuice is blessed with a great ensemble cast. In the title role Alex Brightman is outrageous, vulgar, insulting, profane and altogether delightful. He's simply irrepressible. He will not be denied his opportunity to be downright assaultive.
And let us add that Sophie Ann Caruso as Lydia is every bit Brightman's equal. Plus there are also send-up performances by the appealing Rob McClure as Adam and the menacing Leslie Kritzer as Delia. There are more than 20 in this energetic cast and they're all wonderful.
We heard that Beetlejuice had serious problems on the road. In fact, the show was mostly panned by the DC critics. But somewhere along the way torn edges were mended, loose ends were tightened, paths were unblocked so the show could flow smoothly and, perhaps most importantly, the timing was perfected so that every funny line (and there are plenty of them) could pop like a firecracker.
And yes, Beetlejuice is thoroughly preposterous, mostly inane and often ludicrous.
But it also announces itself as a show about death and, in a raucous way it forces you to confront the absurdities of life including your own mortality and whatever may or may not lie beyond.
For example, there's a great song called "The Whole Being Dead Thing . . . " and that's right at the top of the show.
Go. See. And laugh at the often wretched conundrum we call life.
