I brought my fifteen year old son with me to the media night for Beetlejuice on Broadway in Seattle the other night. We came from an intense soccer game, and a busy day of work and literally slid into our seats minutes before the musical started. And then I realized it is all about death. I remember seeing a bit of the original Beetlejuice from the late 80’s (yes, the one from last century) but I think I was maybe 9 years old so I didn’t think much about what this musical would be like. The age recommendation for this Beetlejuice is 13+. I think this is a good age recommendation, as it’s a bit similar in humor/mature situations/sexual innuendos as Ted Lasso. I don’t think I would have brought my kid if he was younger.
What is the Beetlejuice Musical About?
And to be honest, once I realized that the Beetlejuice musical was all about death, I thought I was going to hate it. That’s when I realized I forgot to look up the run time (if you want to know too, it’s 2 hours and 30 minutes including an intermission) – I don’t like a lot of blood, guts or gore. But surprisingly, for a musical about death, it didn’t really have that kind of thing-this was more for the imagination and the set was colorful, creative and bold. There is talk of suicide and feelings of hopelessness, and the loss of someone dear which are all triggering for me too. But again, this musical managed to touch on these points in a really meaningful, and also humorous way. Beetlejuice touched on many things we don’t really talk about, and should talk about, and because of this, I’m really glad I brought my son with me. I think being able to reference a shared experience like going to a musical like this, and then being able to chat about it and even say “if you ever feel as hopeless like Lydia felt in this play can you please come talk to me about it” makes works like this so important. I think the way it talks about loss and grief is really compelling too.
So even though I might have been worried about this play in the first five minutes or so, I walked out wanting to see this one again. This Beetlejuice musical is a musical where the whole cast seems perfect for their characters, the musical numbers are entertaining and the story line is definitely unique. I really appreciated that for the first time all day, my son and I sat back in our chairs, relaxed and laughed out loud about life and death together and had a fabulous time.
When is it in Seattle and where does it go next?
Beetlejuice on Broadway is in Seattle from April 2-7th 2024 and you can find tickets here and then it heads to Portland Oregon
(PS. my teenage guys and I have been to a few musicals now including Dear Evan Hansen, Back to the Future, Lion King, Hamilton and Wicked, with their favorite so far being Back to the Future which is coming next year to Seattle.)
(PPS. it looks like there is a new Beetlejuice movie coming out in 2024)
Terumi Pong is a Seattle-based family travel writer and mom of twin teenage boys. She loves coffee and pastries, shopping local and looking for greener ways to live. She is also known as Scout’s mom (Scout is a 5ish pound little black yorkie-poo)
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