Beetlejuice Review – Tim Burton’s top crawl resurfaced as an ironic comedy in the ghoulish musical | Theater

Halloween has arrived early as another film turned into a West End musical. The art deco theater is now a towering building decorated with purple and green lights. A sand caterpillar floats around the house and it all starts with a bad situation. Tim Burton’s 1988 night lover has been remade with song and dance as, to give it its full title, Beetlejuice: The Musical. The Musical. The Musical. Bring on the masked chorus line!

You may find Christmas has come early, thanks to an abundance of random gags, topical references, emotional addresses and a spirit of chaos. There are jokes about hipster vapes, seven seven (groan), James Corden’s many rants against theater royalty, from a joke about Andrew Lloyd Webber’s severed head to two nasty rants against a new West End arrival, Paddington Bear. It all detracts from the well-crafted world of the story.

Michael Keaton only had 17 minutes of screen time in the first Beetlejuice film, which made his attention span even more surprising. music, premiered on Broadway in 2019it leaves less of a trail. Before the gates begin Beetlejuice sneers at the intro (“Holy crap, a ballad already?”), snorting and crying in his striped suit. With the shadows of the tyrannical coach he played very well School of RockDavid Fynn is certainly not lacking in water in the leading role.

At one point Fynn gives a Scooby Doo version of “ruh roh” and there are fun kids under his bio-exorcist but his dialogue as the plot moves in and out of the Netherworld quickly becomes boring. It’s like watching some kind of Netflix megastar standup bent on inciting outrage. This show is struggling to tell you what it’s like, more interesting than disgusting.

And yet… There is so much to enjoy in the off-kilter production of Alex Timbers, and the unusual lighting of Kenneth Posner and the three-dimensional simulation from Peter Nigrini. Set designer David Korins provides a clever twist on the home where Adam and Barbara Maitland (David Hunter and Chelsea Halfpenny, both excellent) discover they have just died. In a brilliant performance, Hannah Nordberg brings the power of death to young Lydia Deetz, who moves into her home.

Alasdair Harvey is delightful as Lydia’s father Charles who, after his mother dies, takes on life coach Delia (Aimie Atkinson), a deeply wounded man as his point. Charles G LaPointe’s hair styles and wigs work amazing magic (Chasity Crisp’s coiffure is like cigarette smoke) while William Ivey Long’s inspired costumes contrast with the fierce but glamorous Miss Argentina (Vanessa Aurora Sierra) to Lydia’s black laces. Seeing a person with a crippled head is fun.

There are the added delights of Jeremy Chernick’s special effects, Michael Weber’s tricks and Michael Curry’s puppetry, all of which leave you wanting more. The roast pork is straight up at the dinner party, where Charles entertains some impressive guests, along with Day-O (The Banana Boat Song) as in the movie.

Danny Elfman’s influence can be felt in Kris Kukul’s musical ensembles but singer Eddie Perfect carries a variety of styles, including a high school band (choreography by Connor Gallagher). The transformation of Lydia and Maitlands through music is done well, but the competition between Delia and Lydia can make a huge musical difference from their incompatible personalities. The numbers are interesting but not memorable.

Far from the shocking explosion of Beetlejuice, Scott Brown and Anthony King’s book contains other messages about the importance of universality and embracing life. Nordberg does a lot to ensure that there is an emotional anchor in a night of excitement and frustration. Enjoy the sand worms, don’t expect caterpillars.