Beetlejuice!!

 I've never seen the movie Beetlejuice. I just know nobody who likes it. So when the Broadway musical Beetlejuice was on the bill in the season, I really didn't expect much. In fact, I debated not going. Man am I glad I went.

Beetlejuice isn't for kids though there were quite a few in attendance in a packed house at the sound challenged Orpheum Theater here in Omaha. It's a play about death. Beetlejuice says that right from the get-go. It's also a bit PG-13 even at times R with the language and the sexual innuendo. Beetlejuice asked a kid in the audience how old are you? When the kid said 10, the character looks shocked and says, "you are about to learn a lot of stuff".

The play is about Lydia. Lydia has lost her mother and is grieving while her dad continues on with a new house, a new girlfriend, a plot to make money on the house and a seeming indifference to his daughters' sadness. Enter Beetlejuice, a bitter and lonely demon looking for chaos in the human world. The Maitlands, Barbara and Adam, used to own the house, died in the house and want it back from Lydia's father. In cahoots with Lydia, who can see the invisible ghosts due to her gloominess and desire to die, Beetlejuice and the Maitlands haunt the house. And hilarity ensues. Lydia just wants to see her dead mom again and takes huge chances to do so before realizing she really doesn't want that. She wants her dad to acknowledge the death of her mom and his wife. Eventually we get closure. Beetlejuice is foiled and happiness is achieved.  

The musical has lots of catchy tunes, none of which I'd heard other than Day-O of course. Stand outs included Dead Mom, Home and really fun Creepy Old Guy.

The cast is flawless. Justin Collette has a blast being the creepy lecherous lead character, Beetlejuice, interacting with the audience, making side cracks about other plays (Fuck Brigadoon yeah I said it) and politics (I feel as powerless as a gay Republican!). He is an energetic force of nature. Then there's Isabell Esler as Lydia, She's 18 and has the powerful voice of a pro. She belts out Home with a power 18-year-old kids aren't supposed to have developed yet. Megham McGinnis as Barbara Maitland, a mousy timid dead woman and Will Burton as Adam, a mousy timid dead man are wonderful in their transition from scaredy cats to Beetlejuice hunting tigers. Jesse Sharpe as Lydia's dad, Charles, has a great voice and a great stage presence. The rest of the cast knocks it into the balcony also. Abe Goldfarb as a fraudulent guru, Otho, has a small role but damn you know he's up there cuz he's impossible to ignore.

Sometimes you attend an event expecting nothing and you end up with something. Something great in fact. Beetlejuice is one of those things. It's not going to win any Tonys, but its fun fun fun. I won't remember this in a month or maybe 2 days (JC Superstar comin up), but the 2 1/2 hours we spent in the theater was well worth it and enjoyable. 

It's the best show of the Omaha Broadway season so far. Yeah, go see it.