Honest Review of Beetlejuice on Broadway – Is It Worth Seeing? [Part 2]

Hello, this is Fujii from our team.
I had been away from regular theatergoing for a little while when a client suddenly messaged me to say they had two extra tickets for that evening and asked if I wanted them. So I headed out to see the musical Beetlejuice. Our colleague Mizuki covered the synopsis and highlights in a previous report, so to avoid repeating the same information, I will link that article below. If you have not read part one yet, we recommend starting there first.

• Beetlejuice review part1 (April 15, 2019) >>

I had been invited back in April as well, but I could not go because I already had another event that day. I was disappointed then, so this time I was determined to make it. That said, after several nights of too little sleep, I was moving a little slowly. I picked up two complimentary tickets, but my companion had to cancel at the last minute, so I ended up going alone. It had been a while since I last saw a musical by myself, and I decided to enjoy the night to the fullest.

About Beetlejuice

This may give away my age a little, but I first saw Tim Burton’s film Beetlejuice when I was in middle school, and I loved it. The CG and puppetry may look dated now, but at the time, the special makeup and puppet effects felt incredibly exciting.

Michael Keaton’s Beetlejuice is a wildly chaotic character who throws the newly deceased couple back and forth between the world of the living and the afterlife. Tim Burton’s unmistakable visual style is everywhere. If you watch the film first, you will probably enjoy the stage version even more.

For the stage synopsis, highlights, and main characters, please see the detailed show page below.

• Beetlejuice show details >>

Beetlejuice is playing at the Winter Garden Theatre

Winter Garden Theatre

The Winter Garden Theatre is known for having once served as a horse exchange in the late 1800s. Located right in the heart of Broadway, it must have been a convenient spot for carriages at the time.

The last time I visited this theater was in 2015, when Alex Brightman starred in School of Rock. Seeing him return to the same theater as the title character in Beetlejuice felt like a full-circle moment.

Address: 1634 Broadway, New York, NY 10019

For the seating chart and venue features, please see the theater guide page below.

• More about the Winter Garden Theatre >>

The Winter Garden interior is completely transformed for Beetlejuice

This overlaps a little with Mizuki’s earlier report, but the theater interior was fully immersed in the world of Beetlejuice. Haze effects and eerie blue and purple lighting created a haunted-house atmosphere.
Here are a few quick photos from the orchestra level.

Click images to enlarge

Pick up Beetlejuice merchandise available only at the theater

Again, this overlaps a little with the first report, but here are some of the exclusive items sold at the venue.
Just inside the entrance on the right, there was a small booth selling T-shirts from $30, magnets for $10, enamel pins for $15, button sets for $15, and notebooks for $20.

Inside near the main bar, there was a larger merchandise stand focused on apparel, including caps for $30, hoodies for $80, and socks for $25. The hoodie had black-and-white striped lining, which was very tempting, but after a recent impulse purchase in SoHo, I managed to hold myself back this time.

Click images to enlarge

Translation devices are available

The venue offers the audio translation device we have introduced before, called Audio Trans.

One exciting discovery this time was that Beetlejuice supports both Japanese and Spanish. A passport and credit card are required for rental. If you are worried about keeping up with the fast-paced jokes or the large cast, this device can help you follow the story more comfortably.

• Translation device rental guide >>

Cutting-edge sound and projection technology

Without giving too much away, the show uses a wide range of special effects. Wind, water, fire, and more burst across the stage, creating one visual surprise after another.

There is also extensive projection work that rivals Frozen, and it is clear that a serious amount of technical investment went into the production. Next to the onstage control board, there was a separate large PA setup as well.

Our seats this time were eight rows closer

We sat exactly eight rows ahead of where our colleague had sat previously, which felt like a small victory. From eight rows closer, the stage felt much nearer.

How to read your ticket: ORCHO K 5

Orchestra Odd = Orchestra section, odd-numbered seats
Row K (11th row from the front), seat 5 (third seat from the aisle)

Since the seat was third in from the aisle, the angle was comfortable and the view was not obstructed.

The orchestra section at the Winter Garden Theatre has a relatively gentle slope, so some people may worry about sightlines. However, compared with many other theaters, the row spacing is fairly generous, which helps.

That said, the child sitting in front of me used a booster seat and ended up about as tall as a large adult, which blocked the view during a few moments. As always, visibility depends somewhat on who sits in front of you. Here is roughly what the view looked like from our seats.

Intermission chaos

The first act ends right after Lydia says Beetlejuice’s name three times. Then the curtain comes down for intermission.

I considered making a quick restroom trip, but the line for the men’s room stretched all the way down the stairs, so I gave up. I was glad I had gone before the show started.

In short, the lines at the Winter Garden can get very long. Use the restroom before the performance begins.

Perhaps it was just that night, but the lobby felt packed, as if everyone had left their seats at once. Both restrooms had long lines, and the bar was extremely busy. Maybe people had laughed so much during act one that they needed a drink.

I stepped outside for some air instead. Please note that you will need to show your ticket again when reentering the theater.

Post-show tip: meet the cast at the stage door

I really wanted to meet Alex Brightman, whose Beetlejuice I love, so I rushed to the stage door on the Seventh Avenue side, immediately to the right after exiting the theater. Thanks to my quick sprint, I managed to get a front spot behind the barricade, but there was already a large crowd. I seemed to be the only fan from Japan there.

Most of the stage-door crowd looked like teenagers.

Alex Brightman is a major star, known both on Broadway and from television, so the excitement was intense.

From the conversations around me, I could tell how much people admired his comedy, movement, and musicianship.

But time passed, and he did not appear.

A few ensemble members came out, and I happily accepted their signatures, but I was still hoping to meet the principal cast members.

After about 90 minutes, Rob McClure, who plays Adam, came out. A girl standing next to me, an aspiring actor, asked him for advice after many unsuccessful auditions. He stopped signing for a moment and spoke with her for more than five minutes, offering thoughtful and practical guidance.

Rob said that when you do not pass an audition, you should not assume it means you lack talent. Instead, watch the person who booked the role and identify what they brought to it. Often, you will realize that it is not about lacking something, but simply that you and the person who was cast are different types.

So do not spiral. Look for roles that truly need what you have, and focus your energy there. He said he had learned this through hundreds of auditions. It was generous advice, and it left a strong impression on me.

A few moments later, security announced that no more cast members would be coming out, and the stage door closed for the night.

Post-show impressions

Some jokes may be hard to catch without strong English

To be honest, that was my first impression. I probably understood about 90 percent of the English, but there were many quick callbacks, sharp wordplay, and culture-specific jokes. For travelers, some of that may be difficult to catch.

The show uses a rapid-fire comedy style at times. Still, Alex Brightman’s physicality and comic timing are so strong that you can laugh even if you miss a line. If you understand the English, you will laugh even harder.

The set design is next-level

Recreating Tim Burton’s world onstage is no easy task, but the design captures it beautifully while giving the musical its own original flavor. The warped house, the transformed interior, the furniture, and the props all change right before your eyes.

The real-time transformations and illusions are outstanding. I imagine that the large equipment at the back of the orchestra was helping power some of those effects. Flames burst, objects vanish, people float, and movie-like gags unfold like high-speed magic.

In short, if you know the basic story, you can still have a lot of fun even if you do not catch every word. The show is wildly entertaining.
It is also a great choice for families because the stagecraft feels like live magic, although a few of Beetlejuice’s jokes are a little crude, so parents may want to be aware of that.

The ending combines warmth, laughter, and a touch of poignancy, all wrapped in a bold Broadway package. Among the shows currently playing, this is one I highly recommend.

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