Beetlejuice: The Musical's Detroit Debut

Isabella Esler (Lydia) and Justin Collette (Beetlejuice) Courtesy: Playbill

The highly acclaimed Tim Burton film, Beetlejuice is now a musical that is playing the Detroit Opera House from January 31- February 12, 2023. After a very successful run-on Broadway both before and after the COVID-19 shutdown the musical is now hitting the road with a new cast and performing for those who couldn’t make it to NYC to see it.

Beetlejuice is about a girl named, Lydia (portrayed by Isabella Esler) a strange and unusual teenager who just lost her mother. As she’s in mourning, her, her father, and his lover (a life coach that he hired for Lydia to help cope with the loss of her mother) move into a new house that was owned by a recently diseased couple. While exploring her new home, Lydia discovers her home is haunted, and she has the ability to see ghosts. She learns that the former couple who lived in the home as well as a ghost named, Beetlejuice (portrayed by Justin Collette) who can only come alive if his name is recited three times. Together, they go through a journey through the nether world and the regular world.

Beetlejuice was a show filled with content from the film that the die-hard fans loved as well as new content that made the people love it even more. The music has a way of adding more excitement to the story and the numbers couldn’t happen at better times. A majority of the dialogue is hilarious and had audience members cracking up throughout the performance. Additionally, the choices made by the actors with the subtext were extremely well done and it was truly the icing on the cake.

Whether you are a fan the Beetlejuice film, musical theatre or both this is the perfect show to see. There really is something for everyone in this show, and it is not a show to be missed. Beetlejuice is playing at the Detroit Opera House until February 12, 2023.