The ghost with the most: 'Beetlejuice The Musical' coming to Worcester with 'crazy stuff'
In the hilariously haunting "Beetlejuice The Musical," actor Will Burton saw a bit of a doppelganger in the character of Adam Maitland when he went to see the show on Broadway.
The married couple Adam and Barbara Maitland "are super passionate about the things in their life," Burton said. "Fixing things. Buying the old house. They can also spiral and be incredibly neurotic sometimes." Even after they're dead.
"It just struck me how similar I am to this guy," Burton said of Adam, passionate and neurotic whether living or dead. "I really don't have to figure too much out about the guy." So watching the show, Burton said to himself, "If did play that role I wouldn't have to venture too far from myself."
Burton is now venturing far and wide playing Adam in the national tour of "Beetlejuice The Musical" that comes to The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts for an eight-performance run Jan. 2 to 7.
'Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice!'
In the show, the deceased but wide awake Maitlands are encouraged by Beetlejuice, an outrageous phantom trapped in a kind of purgatory, to haunt the old Victorian house in Connecticut they had just bought and planned to renovate and start a family in, but instead died in after a sudden accident. They're hoping to scare off a family that's now bought the house and are moving in, including goth teenager Lydia, who is grieving for her recently deceased mother, Lydia's neglectful father, and Delia, with whom Lydia's dad is already secretly engaged. As if that all wasn't crazy enough, thanks to Beetlejuice all sorts of madcap mayhem is about to ensue.
The musical — which ran on Broadway, with a break for the pandemic, from April, 2019, to January, 2023 — is an adaptation of the 1988 movie "Beetlejuice" directed by Tim Burton with Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis as Adam and Barbara, Wynona Ryder as Lydia, and Michael Keaton as Betelgeuse, pronounced "Beetlejuice."
The film developed a longstanding cult following.
Will Burton said he is no relation to Tim Burton. "I wish I could say yes. Just the fan relation — I am a fan of Tim Burton."
He watched "bits" of the movie "Beetlejuice" when he was child, "but I was so scared by bits of it ... Watching it as an adult I got an appreciation of it then."
Going to see "Beetlejuice The Musical" on Broadway, however, "I was able to find my appreciation of it through the show a little bit more."
The musical version has music and lyrics by Eddie Perfect and book by Scott Brown and Anthony King, and makes some adjustments such as having Lydia as the main character and Beetlejuice becoming the narrator.
"The show has that Tim Burton feeling, but I think the show improves on some of the story arcs, including Adam and Barbara's relationship with Lydia," Burton said.
'People are dressed up'
The movie's soundtrack had vintage songs by the late Harry Belafonte "Day-O" and "Jump in the Line." "Beetlejuice The Musical" has those numbers as well as new songs that are "so good ...they're cross-genre," Burton said.
The show has also been called "naughtier and louder" than the movie. There's even a content advisory: "Contains strong language, mature references, and a lot of the crazy, inappropriate stuff you would expect from a deranged demon."
The formula seems to be working for the national tour, which began a year ago. The touring cast also includes Isabella Esler as Lydia, Justin Collette as Beetlejuice, and Megan McGinnis as Barbara.
"The audience response is just absolutely incredible," Burton said, "even before we start." There are audience members who intimately know the movie while many others have seen clips from the musical on TikTok that have gone viral. "People are dressed up ... It's amazing. We've been selling really well."
When the show was in Denver in September, a couple of audience members evidently became too boisterous. U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., and a companion were escorted out of a performance for alleged disruptive behavior that included vaping, singing and groping.
The stage in Denver was a little further back from the audience than at most theaters, and "No one in the cast noticed it was happening. The next day as things came out we were just glued to our phones." First there was a local report, then a national report, and then one from the BBC, Burton said.
'I was just having such a great time'
Burton is from Marietta in Georgia, near Atlanta. Growing up, "My parents, especially my dad, were very theatrical." His father "is always telling hilarious jokes, improvising songs while doing the dishes. I picked up on that in a way."
He was in a musical in middle school and his teacher suggested he should audition for Pebblebrook High School, "just an incredible magnet arts high school" near Atlanta. Alumni of the school have been in more than 75 Broadway shows. The dance captain for the "Beetlejuice The Musical" tour, Ryan Breslin, went to Pebblebrook with Burton. "I was lucky it was in my district," Burton said of the school.
Burton enjoyed himself appearing in shows at Pebblebrook. "I didn't understand at that point that that career would be moving to New York and auditioning for musicals. I was just having such a great time."
He went on to graduate from the University of Michigan’s Musical Theatre program and moved to New York and started auditioning.
"This was just something I kept doing because I loved doing it," he said.
Burton has been in the ensemble and an understudy in several Broadway musicals, and had the role of Ambrose, a young struggling artist, in the 2017 revival of "Hello, Dolly" that starred Bette Midler. He also has Off Broadway and regional theater credits.
Rob McClure initially had the role of Adam in "Beetlejuice The Musical" on Broadway, and when he left in September 2019, Burton auditioned for the role he thought he would be perfect for.
"I went for the part and was told I was too young for the role," Burton said. Instead, McLure was replaced by David Josefsberg.
"I thought maybe when it goes on tour. Then came the pandemic. The pandemic aged me up enough, I guess."
'We're living the life'
Would Burton say that being cast as Adam in the national tour of "Beetlejuice The Musical" is his biggest career break so far?
"Yeah, I think I would. This is by far and away the most responsibility I've had in a big production. I was Ambrose in 'Hello, Dolly!' but it was a small part," he said.
"So much of a career as an actor is waiting for the right part. This one is so incredibly just me. I feel so exactly like this guy."
"Beetlejuice The Musical" is also Burton's first time on a national tour. He's been traveling with his service dog, an Italian water dog.
Contemplating national tours in the past, "I always worried — even one bad apple can soil what should be a wonderful experience," he said. "But as soon as we started, it was such a wonderful group. Not one bad apple in the bunch. And I knew this would be a wonderful and transformative experience. We're living the life."
It's a busy life, with travel days coming up on Christmas Day — from West Palm Beach, Fla. to Charlotte, N.C. — and New Year's Day — Charlotte, N.C. to Worcester.
Burton said he has never been to Worcester before. "I'm very excited."
The tour, which got underway in December, 2022, has plenty of juice left in it with dates being added and stretching ahead. "It's selling so well," Burton said.
Furthermore, Burton's said his girlfriend, Haley Fish, was recently cast to join the show's ensemble. "She's incredibly incredibly talented. I'm so proud of her." So touring is now a cozy set up of Burton, Fish, and his dog.
"No more long distance relationship. I'm having a great time."
Thanks to his character double Adam — and Beetlejuice.
'Beetlejuice The Musical'
When: 7:30 p.m. Jan. 2, 3 and 4; 8 p.m. Jan. 5; 2 and 8 p.m. Jan. 6; 1 and 6:30 p.m. Jan. 7. Audio description services available 1 p.m. Jan. 7; ASL interpretation available 6:30 p.m. Jan. 7
Where: The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts, 2 Southbridge St., Worcester
How much: $39 to $109 depending on seat location and performance. (877) 571-7469; hanovertheatre.org
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: 'Beetlejuice The Musical' coming to The Hanover Theatre
