Beetlejuice The Musical (2025) at The Regent Theatre: When the Unusual Becomes Extraordinary
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Date Reviewed: 01/06/2025
When Beetlejuice first materialized on Broadway in 2019, I approached it with cautious scepticism. What could a musical possibly add to Tim Burton's beloved cult classic? The 2025 Australian production at Melbourne's Regent Theatre not only answered that question but redefined what a film-to-stage adaptation can achieve.
Scott Brown and Anthony King's script performs a remarkable feat of reinvention by centering the story around Lydia's grief. The production opens not with the Maitlands' demise, but with the funeral of Emily Deetz, Lydia’s mother. This is a bold choice that immediately signals this is more than simple fan service. Karis Oka's Lydia is brilliant in her role. She emerges not as Winona Ryder's goth caricature but as a fully realised protagonist. The audience is taken on Lydia's journey as she moves from nihilism to acceptance, and embracing life. Elise McCann and Rob Johnson nail the wholesome, flustered charm of Barbara and Adam Maitland. Watching their sincere panic as newly minted ghosts trying to handle the show's over-the-top craziness is pure delight. Tom Wren makes Charles Deetz's transformation from cold businessman to frantic dad feel real and surprisingly moving, while Erin Clare is a comedic tour-de-force as Delia Deetz, who masterfully embodies Delia's absurdist spiritual-chic evolution. From the leads to the incredible ensemble, this cast is stacked with talent.
And what an extraordinary fortune to experience Eddie Perfect, the show's brilliant composer-lyricist, fully embodying the role of Beetlejuice. From his anarchic entrance in The Whole Being Dead Thing, Perfect commands the stage with his laser-sharp timing of a seasoned comic (The scenery is fake here, BUT THERE'S A GIANT SNAKE HERE!" is just one of the many funny lines in this song). His genre-defying score – a thrilling collision of rock, metal, and theatrical bombast punctuated by chilled lounge and jazz detours – feels like a direct conduit to the character's chaotic essence.
The sheer theatrical magic of Beetlejuice is a triumph of collaborative stagecraft. It relies on an unseen army of creators, brought to vibrant life by the tireless, shape-shifting ensemble. David Korins’ Tony-nominated set design is key. The Maitland/Deetz house transcends mere scenery. It becomes the essential vessel for the afterlife. Director Alex Timbers masterfully orchestrates each element of the production in great detail. Connor Gallagher’s choreography electrifies (think ghostly tangos, vaudeville bursts), executed with precision and manic energy by the ensemble. Michael Curry’s puppetry is ingenious (hello, sandworm). Jeremy Chernick’s practical effects are fabulous (levitation, multiplying limbs). Kenneth Posner’s is a painter with light - pure alchemy. William Ivey Long’s costumes are meticulously layered, richly textured, and bursting with storytelling detail. I will never forget Lydia’s defiant red dress, its bold silhouette and intricate embellishments reminds me of Frida Kahlo’s fearless artistry. Long's outfits are not mere decorations. They support the narrative. For Lydia, her outfits changed from a mournful black to bright red and life-embracing.
This collaborative vision reaches its peak in Act II's Netherworld. Visually it is a breathtaking sequence of events with a backdrop that reminds me of M.C. Escher’s impossible worlds. This sequence embodies the show’s technical wizardry and emotional core. Lydia enters through Peter Nigrini’s mesmerizing portal projection. She finds a realm of endlessly repeating architecture. At its heart stands Miss Argentina (Angelique Cassimatis). She delivers the show-stopping What I Know Now wonderfully. Cassimatis blends dark comedy with unexpected warmth. Her tango-infused performance is perfectly choreographed by Gallagher. It shifts between predatory and playful moods. This pivotal number is an ironic life-lesson-from-the-dead whose message is life-affirming: seize life with defiant joy, crystallized in the lyrics: "Should've lived like it's my last night on the planet Earth!".
Beetlejuice The Musical doesn't just translate the film, it finds new depth in familiar characters while delivering a spectacle that must be seen to be believed. As the entire company launched into the euphoric finale Jump in the Line (Shake, Señora), I found myself not just entertained, but genuinely moved, a testament to the production's unexpected emotional resonance.