In an Instagram post, Tony nominee Alex Brightman has answered the question which has haunted Broadway's Beetlejuice the last few weeks: will the actor be able to return to the role he originated before its final performance January 8? The answer is yes.
Brightman originally told fans via Instagram December 27 that he had sustained a concussion during a performance and needed medical approval before returning to the show. With the musical completing its Broadway run at the Marquis Theatre less than two weeks after the injury, the actor returns with caution for its final weekend.
Brightman shared in the post that he will star in the evening performances January 6-8 while his understudy Andrew Kober, who took over during Brightman's medical leave, will play the Ghost-With-The-Most for the matinee performances.
Based on Tim Burton’s cult favorite film, Beetlejuice tells the story of Lydia Deetz, a strange and unusual teenager whose life changes when she meets a recently deceased couple and Beetlejuice, a demon with a thing for stripes. When Lydia calls on Beetlejuice to scare away anyone with a pulse, this double-crossing specter unleashes a (nether)world of pandemonium.
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Alex Timbers directs the musical, which features an original score by Tony nominee Eddie Perfect, and a book by Tony nominees Scott Brown and Anthony King. Music supervision, orchestrations and incidental music are by Kris Kukul, and choreography is by Connor Gallagher.
Illusions are by Michael Weber while dance arrangements are by David Dabbon. Also serving are Rachel Bauder as production stage manager, Catie Davis as associate director, Nancy Renee Braun as associate choreographer, and Jenny Gersten as line producer. Casting is by Telsey + Company and Rachel Hoffman and music producing is by Matt Stine.
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Beetlejuice debuted on Broadway at the Winter Garden Theatre March 28, 2019 where it opened April 25. Its initial engagement earned eight Tony award nominations. Following the COVID-19 shutdown, the show returned to Broadway—and brought the largest sandworm on the Broadway stage and the Netherworld back with it, re-opening April 8, 2022 at the Marquis Theatre with Brightman reprising the role of the titular poltergeist opposite newcomer Elizabeth Teeter (The Crucible, The Audience) as Lydia Deetz.
To tickets and more information, visit BeetlejuiceBroadway.com.