Alex Brightman in Beetlejuice The Musical at the Winter Garden Theatre, New York. Pictures: Matthew Murphy
Something strange and more than a little spooky is happening on Broadway, a bad-mannered demonic presence is scaring up a storm at the box office.
Beetlejuice The Musical may not have captured the imagination of the critics or the award-givers, but the show, inspired by Tim Burton’s first big budget Hollywood movie, has won the hearts of audiences who are making repeated visits to join in the fun.
This week America’s industry bible Variety threw a spotlight on the Beetlejuice The Musical phenomenon, contrasting the show’s word-of-mouth success with the far better received and Tony Award-winning Tootsie which has just announced it will close in January 2020.
Both musicals had taken their inspiration from hit 1980s films, both opened on Broadway around the same time, but while Tootsie’s advance ticket sales have continued to drop, Beetlejuice’s advance has, according to Variety, increased for ‘14 consecutive weeks rising more than 100%’.
The success of the show appears to have taken many industry observers by surprise, but it’s worth noting the observations of our seasoned New York-based critic Ron Cohen in his review published on this site. Earlier this year he wrote:
“If you’re enchanted by non-stop chaos, Beetlejuice may be absolutely your pot of tea. And judging by the noisy rapture this new Broadway musical engendered in the audience at a recent performance, a lot of people are.”
But what is it about the story of the wild-haired, striped-suited demon and the death-obsessed Goth teenager that’s confounded the critics and turned Beetlejuice: The Musical into a Broadway hit that looks likely to head to the West End in the not too distant future?
Variety cites ample evidence of theatregoers returning multiple times to see the show which is playing to packed and enthusiastic houses at the Winter Garden Theatre. The publication also points to the producers’ findings that data on ticket sales suggested a high-percentage of their audience was made up of first-time theatregoers.
Alex Brightman and Sophia Anne Caruso
The publication notes that the show’s producers quickly tapped into the show’s mass audience appeal, focusing their attention on social media platforms and encouraging theatregoers to dress up as their favourite characters from the show. Warner Bros executive VP Mark Kaufman, one of the producers of the show, commented: “We took an audience first approach. We benefited from good old-fashioned word of mouth.”
Commenting on the success of that approach, Kaufman told Variety: “When people say they can’t believe the turnaround, it’s sort of a backhanded compliment because I didn’t think we started from such a humble place, but I also never thought we’d build to this kind of jump. It’s unprecedented.”
It would seem that like the record-breaking Heathers The Musical in London, which was credited with attracting a new generation of theatregoers (70% of the audience for the original run was found to be under the age of 30), Beetlejuice The Musical isn’t just attracting enthusiastic repeat business, it’s tempting new theatregoers to take a trip to Broadway.
The two shows have much in common, not-least the fact that both are inspired by 1988 irreverent black comedies starring a young Winona Ryder. Heathers was a low-budget teen movie that became a cult classic, but Beetlejuice in contrast was a high-profile Warner Bros’ movie that became the 10th highest-grossing film at the US box office in 1988.
Beetlejuice gave the mainstream moviegoer a first glimpse of the distinctive creative talent and vision of Tim Burton, the director who had gained a devoted cult following for his first full-length feature Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure. Based on an original script by novelist Michael McDowell, Burton’s inventive and innovative film features a wickedly funny, scene-stealing performance from Michael Keaton as the poltergeist Betelgeuse and a career-launching turn from Ryder as Goth teen Lydia.
The story of a recently deceased young couple (played by Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis) who are tricked into enlisting the help of the devious Betelgeuse (pronounced Beetlejuice) to help them rid their dream home of its new obnoxious owners, the film was a hit at the box office and with the critics. The film won an Oscar for make-up, spawned an animated series and video games, but the long talked-about sequel has never materialised.
Word of a stage musical version of the film first emerged in 2016 with award-winning director Alex Timbers whose credits include The Pee-Wee Herman Show in 1980 and current West End-bound Broadway hit Moulin Rouge! The Musical attached to the project.
The biggest obstacle to transforming the film into a stage musical was the fact that the title character is essentially a featured character with limited screen time. For the stage version, writers Anthony King and Scott Brown and composer and lyricist Eddie Perfect put the character front and centre, and as exuberantly played by School of Rock’s Alex Brightman, the self-styled bio-exorcist has captured the imagination of theatregoers.
After try-out run in Washington in 2018, Beetlejuice The Musical burst onto Broadway in March this year with the stars of the original workshops, Brightman and Sophia Anne Caruso in the central roles of Beetlejuice and Lydia.
With the soundtrack receiving 100 million streams in just 21 weeks, which puts it ahead of Dear Evan Hansen and just behind Hamilton, the commercial appeal of Beetlejuice looks certain. Few would bet against the show following those hit shows and materialising in the West End, even if it will take a little more than saying the name Beetlejuice three times.
Angela Thomas
Readers may also be interested in:
Beetlejuice at the Winter Garden Theatre, New York – Review
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