Image: AFP Relaxnews
A musical comedy based on the 1988 Tim Burton movie “Beetlejuice” is set to premiere on Broadway next spring following a world premiere next month in Washington DC.
Two-time Tony nominee Alex Timbers (“Moulin Rouge!”, “Peter and the Starcatcher”) directs the musical, which features an original score by Eddie Perfect (“King Kong”) and a book by Scott Brown and Emmy nominee Anthony King (“Broad City”).
Like the movie, the stage musical will tell the story of Lydia Deetz, a strange and unusual teenager whose new house is haunted by a recently deceased couple and Beetlejuice, a “degenerate demon” whom she calls on to scare away her insufferable parents. The original film iteration starred Michael Keaton, Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Jeffrey Jones, Catherine O’Hara and Winona Ryder.
The ghoulish title character’s stage manifestation is described as “ruder, raunchier and frankly, more repellent than ever.”
“Beetlejuice” will begin performances on Oct. 14 at the National Theatre in D.C. before officially opening on Nov. 4. It will then open on Broadway at the Winter Garden Theatre in April 2019, with previews to start in March. JB
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