“An overstuffed, crude new musical...A decidedly raunchy musical that is laser-targeted to today’s early-teen market...A frenetically paced and woefully overcooked endeavor that’s excessive in virtually every respect...Razor-thin plot...There’s only one character who conjures any empathy...There are few melodies of distinction, and at times it musicalizes scenes that arguably could be more effectively conveyed in dialogue."
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“Maybe the most haunting thing about ‘Beetlejuice’ is the creepy feeling of inspiration run amok...Overcaffeinated, overstuffed, and virtually charmless...The movie’s morbid laughter in the face of death has been replaced by juvenile tee-heeing at the ways Beetlejuice can shock the other characters with his bawdy naughtiness...Predictably peppy pop score...Before ‘Beetlejuice’ makes its way to the Winter Garden...a trip back to a lab where they fix musicals may be in order.”
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“Frantic, hyped up to manic levels and filled with pelvic thrusts...The new ‘Beetlejuice’ musical takes Burton’s endearingly bizarre horror-comedy movie and turns it into a reflection of our current times—crass, violent, and appealing to the lowest common denominator...Nothing...except chaos...There’s a feeling of hysterical desperation...to be topical and current, but many of the efforts fall flat...A plot with a current through-line and musical ingenuity gets lost in the madness.”
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“A fast-paced, visual feast...High-octane energy...The core issue with the musical...Cheap laughs with often gratuitous, crude bathroom humor and sex jokes...Any poignancy...that speaks to grief and the relationships between parents and children seems awkward, rushed, and utilized to wrap up everything nicely in a bow. The musical doesn’t seem to know what direction to follow. Perhaps it’s time to go back to the source before it hits Broadway.”
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“An outrageously hilarious spectacle that balances the macabre with the comedic. The cast and crew have brought forth a production that would make Burton and his original cohorts proud...A cast that could not have been better assembled...In the title role...Brightman’s portrayal of the shameless, sailor-mouthed miscreant is complete with spot-on accents and a devilishly convincing comical timing...Meanwhile, the writing is sensational.”
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“Bright, bold, and impossible to miss...It’s so supercharged with manic energy and competing ideas that I can’t imagine how it will sustain itself...Brightman...is here as the ‘ghost with the most’ – the most lines, the most laughs, the most stage presence...He never wears out his welcome...’Beetlejuice’s’ fatal flaw is that it can’t decide whether it’s a harmless Gen X nostalgia vehicle or an angsty Gen Z drama...Departures from the movie feel like missteps."
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“Broadway's next big thing is happening...It's politically incorrect. It's patently, yet moderately offensive. It's irreverent. It takes aim at everyone who may take themselves seriously...It's perfect...The cast is stacked with superstars...But all of this isn't why this musical is going to be Broadway's next big thing. It's the chemistry. That stuff you can't follow a template for...The perfect escape...Exactly what our global pop-culture soul needs at exactly the right time."
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“Now this is how you open a show...Go for broke from the first number...Springing up from the depths below, the demon Beetlejuice enters his self-titled musical like a rock star...The show strums several of the movie’s greatest scenes and catchphrases...But, for the most part, Timber’s production wields inventive stagecraft, along with music and lyrics by Eddie Perfect and a book by Scott Brown and Anthony King, to tell the familiar film story differently.”
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