Theatre
Review
Review: <em>Beetlejuice</em>
The Broadway blockbuster lands in the West End with all its creepy charisma intact
It turns out Beetlejuice is not so easy to summon – fans of the Broadway show have been waiting seven years for a West End transfer. But the Tim Burton adaptation has finally landed, and what a cheerfully chaotic landing it is, as Beetlejuice arrives at the Prince Edward Theatre in true blockbuster fashion.
The titular ghoul is lonely, creepy and overtly horny, a combination that David Fynn pulls off with an impressive amount of charisma. When bland but loveable married couple Barbara (Chelsea Halfpenny) and Adam Maitland (David Hunter) die in their home, he sees an opportunity to end his invisible existence and make the world see him – he just needs to figure out how to make the two new ghosts a little more frightening.
Occupying the now vacated house is Lydia Deetz (Hannah Nordberg), mourning her Dead Mom and resenting her father (Alasdair Harvey) as he attempts to move on with life coach Delia (Aimie Atkinson), who wields optimism like a blunt instrument. It’s Lydia’s wish to punish her father that will lead to her unlikely alliance with Beetlejuice, and all the resulting mayhem.
Alex Timbers’ production is a riot from beginning to end. Scott Brown and Anthony King’s book doesn’t let up on the gags, with plenty of winks to their new British audience, including but not limited to a line about Kier Starmer at an orgy and a BBC Radio Two tote bag. They’re also not afraid to take some foul-mouthed shots at Paddington The Musical, additions that draw some of the evening’s biggest laughs. Eddie Perfect’s songs are likewise big on the gags, but there’s plenty of slick wordplay going on too, and it’s up to the superb Hannah Nordberg as Lydia to deliver the emotional punches with standout numbers ‘Dead Mom’ and ‘Home’.
David Korins on set design not only stays true to the original’s zany aesthetic, but produces multiple versions of the Deetz’s home, each as off-kilter and delightfully trippy as the last. There’s no shortage of special effects, from flames to flight to glowing hell portals, but the show’s relatively simple emotional beats don’t get lost in all the madness. Instead, Lydia’s cynicism slowly matures, her father’s ice slowly thaws, and we end on a humorous but moving nod to found family and making our own futures. There’s a big, ghoulish heart hiding beneath all Beetlejuice’s irreverent flash. If you’re here for subtlety, you’re in the wrong theatre. If you’re here for giant snakes, your seat awaits.
