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Technically known as Beetlejuice The Musical. The Musical. The Musical, this massive scale Broadway adaptation of the classic Tim Burton comedy horror movie has been a big hit in the States, running for four years at the hulking Winter Garden Theatre and due to make a limited return there right about now.
Having opened on Broadway in 2019, part of the reason it’s taken a while to cross the pond is that a big theatre is needed to contain it and there aren’t many of those free over here. Fellow US smash MJ the Musical previously nipped in to claim the Prince Edward Theatre, but the Michael Jackson jukebox joint will be offski in the new year.
So here comes Beetlejuice! For those unfamiliar, Burton’s 1988 film concerns a couple who die and awaken in the afterlife, only to discover that a ghastly new family has occupied their dream home. Unhappy with this state of affairs, they summon the batshit mental ‘bio-exorcist’ Betelgeuse to drive the interlopers away, with catastrophic results.
The musical – with songs by Australian singer-songwriter Eddie Perfect, and book by Scott Brown and Anthony King – essentially cleaves to the plot of the film, with lashings of goofy fourth wall-breaking humour and much praise from NYC critics (including Time Out New York’s Adam Feldman) for its spectacular (and spectacularly weird) sets.
And now it’s coming our way! There’s no word yet on the casting for Moulin Rouge! director Alex Timbers’s production, although the fact the US production is making a limited return to Broadway immediately before its West End engagement suggests that some transferring US cast members are a distinct possibility. All will be revealed soon, with tickets going on general sale October 30.
Beetlejuice is at the Prince Edward Theatre, from May 2026. Sign up here for updates.
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