Tim Burton’s cult classic Beetlejuice has been adapted for the stage in the form of a musical. Beetlejuice: The Musical will star Alex Brightman as the infamous title character, and he will certainly have big shoes to fill following the iconic performance of Michael Keaton in the 1988 movie. By the looks of things, the performer will certainly be a good fit for the character. You can see Brightman in full costume as he has showcased his incarnation of the character in an image shared on Twitter.
Beetlejuice: The Musical takes a lot from the movie, although of course there will be difference to make it suitable for the stage. The stage production has taken a lot of inspiration from Tim Burton’s original Beetlejuice artwork and director Alex Timbers has revealed that fans can expect some easter eggs, as well as audience interaction from Betelgeuse himself. He said:
“He’s one of those characters in that film that you can imagine breaking the fourth wall, and I think in theater, you want these characters that vibrate with life and can kick over the footlights and land in your lap. That’s Betelgeuse. He can directly address the audience. He can be an unreliable narrator. He can be a Loki figure, you know? He can be a god of chaos, and that’s really exciting.”
Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice…@BeetlejuiceBway
📸: @MurphyMade pic.twitter.com/7gBLU8sdbM
— Alex Brightman (@ABrightMonster) October 15, 2018
While the core appearances of the character remain familiar, a lot of details are different. Timbers has described this version of Betelgeuse as “younger and punkier” and it took several costume and make-up tests to arrive at what we have now. About Alex Brightman as Betelgeuse, the director had this to say:
“One of the things I love about Alex is, not only is he a great theatre performer, but he’s also a writer, so he brings a sensibility that can stand outside the performance. [His Betelgeuse] is definitely not a Michael Keaton impression. It’s his own. It’s filtered through the sensibility of Alex Brightman.”
Although fans keep pushing for a sequel to the original movie, it looks like this is all we’re going to get in the way of new Beetlejuice material for the foreseeable future. The project has been stuck in development purgatory for an excessive amount of time with the last news being that Vukadinovich was to rewrite the script.
As for Beetlejuice: The Musical, it is currently previewing at Washington National Theatre before it opens officially on November 4. The show will move to Broadway’s Winter Garden Theatre in March next year and will open on April 25.
What do you think of Alex Brightman as Betelgeuse? Let us know in the comments!