Tony-nominee Alex Brightman will follow in Michael Keaton’s footsteps, assuming the title role.
Alex Brightman will follow in Michael Keaton ’s footsteps, assuming the title role in “Beetlejuice” on Broadway. It’s a familiar challenge for the Tony Award nominee. Brightman previously had to put his own spin on a character made famous by Jack Black when he portrayed a hard-playing guitarist/substitute teacher in the Broadway musical “School of Rock.”
In addition, the show’s backers, Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures and Langley Park Productions, announced that Sophia Anne Caruso (“Lazarus”) will co-star as Lydia, a goth teenager who forms a bond with ghosts. Winona Ryder played the part in the Tim Burton film — it helped put her on the map.
“Beetlejuice” is eying a Broadway engagement, but first the musical version of the 1988 hit film will have a trial run at the National Theatre in Washington D. C. It begins performances on Oct. 14 and officially opens on Nov. 4.
“Beetlejuice” is directed by two-time Tony Award nominee Alex Timbers (“Peter and the Starcatcher”), with choreography by Connor Gallagher (“The Robber Bridegroom”), an original score by Eddie Perfect (“King Kong”) and a book by Scott Brown and Emmy Award nominee Anthony King (“Broad City”).
As in the film, Lydia and her family move into an idyllic country home that is haunted by a recently deceased couple and an obnoxious demon. The ghosts and the teen form a connection that helps them scare Lydia’s unendurable parents away.
Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures and Langley Park Productions previously collaborated on “Charlie & the Chocolate Factory.” The musical had a mixed reception when it played on Broadway in 2017. It did solid box office, but was shut out of that year’s Tony Awards.
