Good afternoon internet,

Last night, I had the opportunity to see the national tour of Beetlejuice the Musical. Thank you, Cindy and Richard, for your generous gift!

I saw Beetlejuice on Broadway a few years back, so I thought it’d be interesting to compare the productions.

Understandably, most tours are slightly pared down versions of their Broadway counterparts, namely because the tech components need to slot into many different venues, and the set needs to be transportable via truck. Nonetheless, a show can be incredible without a flashy set, so I’m not too fussed.

Beetlejuice was a polarizing show on Broadway, to say the least. Ben Brantley of the New York Times called it “exhausting.” Johnny Oleksinski of the New York Post called it a “coke-snorting, F-bombing disaster.” However, it slowly gained a cult following, becoming particularly popular among the Gen-Z, Tik-Tok crew.

If you haven’t seen the movie, Beetlejuice the Musical is about a mopey goth teen named Lydia who’s grieving her dead mom, and a demon named Beetlejuice who’s trying to con his way into becoming visible to the world of the living. Only Lydia can see him (and other ghosts, like the recently departed Barbara and Adam), because Lydia doesn’t ignore the “strange and unusual” like common folk. There’s trickery and hilarity ensues.

I quite enjoyed the Broadway production. Sure, it was a bit messy and can be crass at times. But I thought it was quirky, spooky, silly, and well performed. The set (by David Korins) was whimsical and Tim Burton-esque. The plot had been fleshed out from the movie, so it’s easy to follow even if you haven’t seen it (you, should, though, it’s great). And there was a giant snake on stage, which was fun. Ultimately, among all the noise and tomfoolery, the show had heart (sort of like Shucked, in that sense), which made me appreciate it.

The National Tour was, overall, pretty good. They cut the giant snake, which was…a choice. It’s a puppet, so I’m not sure why it couldn’t travel. Perhaps it was broken. Fortunately, our Beetlejuice, Justin Collette, was excellent. His comedic timing, personality, voice, mannerisms…all great. I also thought Megan McGinnis and Will Burton as Barbara and Adam, respectively, were standouts.

Admittedly, I was missing a bit of the emotional core of the show, as some of acting ventured a bit too often into the world of melodrama. I could have put up with it if, say, there were a giant snake, but alas, no luck.

The real miss with this production (at least in its Toronto residency) is the sound mixing. I enjoy Eddie Perfect’s pop-inspired score – and find myself listening to the soundtrack from time to time – but the orchestra was too loud and the lead vocals were too quiet, particularly with respect to the young female characters. It was difficult to understand the lyrics, and I know most of them.

I also fear for the vocal health of some of the actors playing Lydia. They sound great, but boy…that screaming is going to catch up to you. The lead actor on the tour has been performing only sporadically over the past few months (we saw an understudy at our Sat. night performance). I can’t help but wonder if it’s due to vocal strain.

Here are two clips from the original Broadway Lydia, Sophia Anne Caruso – first from the 2018 workshop in DC, and the second from her final Broadway performance in Nov. 2019. She sounds great both times, but certainly more strained in the second clip. Megan McGinnis as Barbara, in contrast, sounds like she’s not straining her voice, singing very cleanly and in a more sustainable manner.

Ultimately, I would recommend seeing this production if you get the chance in a city near you. Despite my gripes, I had a great time.