THEATRE REVIEW: "Beetlejuice" at the Palace Theatre (New York, NY)

      On the afternoon of Saturday, November 1st, 2025, I saw a performance of the musical comedy "Beetlejuice" at the Palace Theatre in New York City.  While I first heard of this musical in 2018, when it had its World Premiere Engagement in Washington D.C., finally seeing it felt like seeing a brand new show.  However, this was the third time "Beetlejuice" was performing on Broadway.  While the first two times were official Broadway Productions of the show, the production I saw at the Palace Theatre was technically the North American Tour, and New York City was the tour's final stop.  After the tour closes in early January of 2026, the next big production of the show will be in the West End, also in 2026.  

     Before seeing "Beetlejuice," I felt a sense of trepidation because I heard the humor in the show was pretty inappropriate at times.  The most inappropriate musicals I had seen prior to "Beetlejuice" were "Silence the Musical" and "The Book of Mormon," both of which I enjoyed.  But "Beetlejuice" took explicit humor to the next level.  Some of the humor actually shocked me, leaving me momentarily stunned before I started laughing.  With that being said, the audience loved it--as did I.

     At the performance of "Beetlejuice" that I saw, the cast included Justin Collette (Beetlejuice), Madison Mosley (Lydia Deetz), Megan McGinnis (Barbara), Will Burton (Adam), Jesse Sharp (Charles), Jenni Barber (Delia), Travis Mitchell (Maxie Dean), Sharone Sayegh (Maxine Dean/Juno, Patrick Oliver Jones (Otho, others), Sophie Aknin (Girl Scout), and Vanessa Aurora Sierra (Miss Argentina).  The ensemble cast members included Michael Biren, Jonathan Bryant, Katie Griffith, Eric Anthony Johnson, Maya Kazzaz, Kenway Hon Wai K. Kua, Matt Kurzyniec, and Mateo Melendez.  From ensemble to the leading players, the entire cast gave it their all.  While "Beetlejuice" is not my favorite show, I still enjoyed it.

     While the 1988 film version of "Beetlejuice" centered around Barbara and Adam Maitland, the main character of the musical is really Lydia Deetz.  She is struggling with the loss of her mother throughout most of the musical, and comes to terms with it by the end of the show.  That is after she crosses paths with Beetlejuice, who basically shares the spotlight as the main character.  The best songs in the show are sung by them.  Speaking of which, "Beetlejuice" features a book by Scott Brown and Anthony King, with music and lyrics by Eddie Perfect.  Eddie Perfect also created the songs for the Broadway musical "King Kong."

     The first Broadway Production of "Beetlejuice" opened at the Winter Garden Theatre in the Spring of 2019, but unexpectedly closed a year later because of the covid-19 shutdown.  The second Broadway Production opened at the Marquis Theatre in the Spring of 2022 and closed early the following year.  The North American Tour has payed return visits to cities as well.  For instance, it has played three engagements in both Chicago, Illinois and Charlotte, North Carolina.  The production played at least two engagements in San Francisco.  The tour also performed at the National Theatre in Washington D.C., where the World Premiere Engagement of "Beetlejuice" had performed from October 14th through November 16th of 2018.

     The most striking part of "Beetlejuice" would have to be when the giant sand worm made its first appearance.  Not because it was grand-scale and shocking to behold, but because it was partially wheeled onto stage, then reversed off-stage when the plot moved on to bigger and better things.  By that I mean it was rather obvious that this production was designed for touring and not for a lengthy stay on Broadway.  With that being said, it would probably have been more appropriate if the cost of ticket lottery tickets were the same as those for touring plays and musicals.  Last time I won a ticket to a national tour, it cost $25.  The ticket I won for this production cost $40.  But at least no one was the wiser.  That is probably thanks to David Korins' set design, with Richie Ouellette as assistant scenic designer for the tour.  

     If I could do it over, I would still see this show.  It was enjoyable and memorable.  Of course, I am writing this review six hours after seeing the show, which is probably why the show feels so memorable.  But it really does seem like a memorable show.  I had a great seat for the performance.  It was orchestra level, in the center, and only a few rows back from the stage.  I'm glad I wasn't seated any closer, because Beetlejuice interacted with the audience members seated up front.  Speaking of which, I hope I wasn't too upfront when it came to my criticisms about the show.  I mean well.  And speaking of meaning well, I hope "Beetlejuice" does well in the West End.