In the Beetlejuice World, Death Can Be Lots of Fun

By Sandi Masori

SAN DIEGO —   Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice!

It’s a call that any self-respecting Gen-Xer knows well thanks to the 1988 film starring Michael Keaton as the titular mischievous demon. The live musical is another in the Broadway San Diego series of shows that have been made based on popular movies or TV shows of the past- especially from the 80s and early 90s.

What can I say about the show that is currently at the Civic Theatre?  I never knew death could be so fun!  The show was a high-energy ball of laughs that never stopped moving.  From the moment the curtains opened the crowd was there for it.  I’ve never heard such a roar to the opening lines before.

If you saw the movie, don’t get too secure that you know the story line.  One of the first few lines that Beetlejuice, played by Andrew Kober, has, as he breaks the fourth wall, is that the show differs from the source material.

For those who never saw the movie, or have never heard of the show, here’s a quick summary: teenager Lydia Dietz (Isabella Esler) has lost her mother, and her dad (Jesse Sharp) in his grief tried to pair her with a toxically positive “life coach” Delia, (Katie Marilley) whom he is also seeing.  Besides that, he has also sold the family home and uprooted to a new place.  Lydia is obsessed with death and mourning her mother to the point of wanting to join her.  Befriended by some newly-dead, friendly ghosts, she tries to help them haunt the house to get her dad to move out.  Their soft approach doesn’t work well, though it’s funny, so enter demon Beetlejuice to save the day… or is that ruin the day?

Kober, who is actually the standby actor for Beetlejuice, shares the role with Justin Collette.  You would never know he was the standby though.  He owned the role, and the room.  Every time he was onstage it was fun and joyous.  I was really happy to see that he wasn’t playing it like Michael Keaton, but had come up with his own character- though he did remind me of some other famous millenial Jewish actors; Seth Rogan, Josh Gad and Jonah Hill.  My son thought he was also reminiscent of Jack Black, though I didn’t see that as much.  As you know, I’m always looking for the Jewish angle, and looking to “bagel” Jewish actors (identify them as Jewish), so I have to say that I was looking at Kober as “one of us” right from the get-go, or at least from the first “Shmuck” line that was thrown out there.  (There was a “L’chaim” later in the show as well.)

After the show, Kober and others were at the “Chat back,” which happens on the first Wednesday of some of the shows. This time we were treated to a main character when Kober came out to join the sound engineer, the assistant dance-captain/ swing understudy, and drummer.  At the chat back, he confirmed that the Yiddish expressions were indeed scripted and that he was one of the tribe. He also said that to him, Beetlejuice is canonically Jewish.  (There’s a little subplot about Beetlejuice and his overbearing mother, which my son thought may have been his reference)

Another Jewish actor who stood out was Abe Goldfarb, who played multiple parts, but I was especially amused to see him play the priest (and then the spiritual guru Otho).  He was especially over the top (in a good way).  My son was excited that he recognized him as a voice actor from Pokemon and some other things.

I have to call out the “Day-O” scene from the end of the first act, (where Lydia and her new ghost friends try to possess her dad and his business partners to scare them.)  The Harry Belafonte song and the scene were well-known from the movie and much anticipated.  They did not disappoint,  it was hilarious and so much fun, the audience was really eating it up, and it looked like the cast was enjoying it as well.

The entire show was over the top.  The main set of the house had magnetic panels so that it could be “redressed” three times to look like three different interiors. There were a lot more props and set pieces than we’ve been seeing in shows lately.

The costume changes alone were pretty phenomenal.  Actress Morgan Harrison told us in the chat back, that one time the roles that she was covering had her doing a costume change in only 45 seconds, and another with a full-face make-up change in only 7 minutes!  Those of us who wear makeup understand what a feat this truly is; I am in awe.  Tim Burton-style animation helped smooth out the transitions.  The design was not an accident- he directed the original movie.

A couple of notes, there were a lot of flashing lights and stationary lights shining into the eyes of the audience.  I thought that was a bit overdone, and my eyes would have preferred a softer effect. Personally, I was not one for censuring what my kids saw when they were young, but for those who are more restrictive, this play probably is a PG-13 for language.  There’s a few F-bombs thrown around.

Other than that, I highly recommend that you catch it before it goes back to the Netherworld.  The run ends on August 20th, so do it now.

*
Sandi Masori is a food and theatre reviewer for San Diego Jewish World.  When she’s not covering food or theatre, she helps authors self-publish, hangs out with her kids, and searches for the best sushi in town.