Broadway Backstory Newsletter
Dear Season Subscribers and Broadway Fans:
The 30th Anniversary Season of Broadway Comes to Reno continues with Beetlejuice, a new musical based on the Tim Burton classic film. Appearing in northern Nevada for the very first time, Beetlejuice promises to provide you an experience full of laughter, rock and roll, and visual spectacle.
The Broadway Backstory Newsletter is created by the Pioneer Center to help you learn more about the shows in our Broadway Comes to Reno series. Below you will find information on the history and creators of the show as well as website links [in blue] to videos and articles. Don’t forget to forward this email to the other Broadway lovers in your party.
During the entire week that Beetlejuice plays the Pioneer Center, we are proud to spotlight the work of another local nonprofit, Eddy House. We are collecting donations of new packs of underwear (all genders) from patrons attending the show. If you wish to participate, bring your items and deposit them in the barrels outside the theater doors as you enter. Thank you for supporting Eddy House.
Your Beetlejuice tickets were emailed to you as a PDF attachment on November 26. Look for the subject line “Confirmation of Order Number.” We look forward to seeing you at the Pioneer Center soon!
Get the backstory on the Broadway’s Beetlejuice
The source material for the musical is the hit 1988 feature film Beetlejuice. Directed by Tim Burton, the film starred Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Alec Baldwin, Catherine O’Hara, and Geena Davis. The movie featured a calypso score and a famous musical scene with music by Harry Belafonte
The Broadway musical adaptation was announced in 2016, produced by Warner Bros. and directed by Tony winner Alex Timbers, best known for helming Broadway productions of Moulin Rouge, Here Lies Love, and Peter and the Starcatcher, along with Amazon Prime’s Mozart in the Jungle and several comedy specials for comedian John Mulaney.
·The book of the musical was adapted by Scott Brown and Anthony King, marking their Broadway debuts Brown and King had previously collaborated on Off-Broadway’s Gutenberg! The Musical!
The music and lyrics were written by Australian stage and television star Eddie Perfect, who had previously supplied music and lyrics for the stage musical King Kong.
·Choreography is by Connor Gallagher, who also choreographed the national tour of Elf the Musical and several productions for Disney Cruise Line Kris Kukul is the musical director, with an extensive background in regional theatre and new work development.
The musical had 5 developmental readings and workshops in New York prior to its out-of-town tryout production. The stage musical premiered at the National Theatre Washington D.C. on October 14, 2018, starring Alex Brightman.
The production quickly transferred to Broadway, opening at the Winter Garden Theatre on April 25, 2019. It was nominated for 8 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and ran until March 10, 2020. After Broadway reopened from the pandemic, Beetlejuice moved to Broadway’s Marquis Theatre from April 2022 to January 2023.
Scenic design is by David Korins (Hamilton, Mrs Doubtfire), lighting by Kenneth Posner (Hairspray, Wicked), costumes by William Ivey Long (The Producers, Chicago), sound by Peter Hylenski (Anastasia, Frozen), and puppets by Michael Curry (The Lion King).
The US national tour playing the Pioneer Center opened on December 1, 2022 and has been playing across the country continuously since then. International productions include South Korea (2021), Brazil (2022), Sweden (2024), Czech Republic (2024), and onboard Norwegian Cruise Lines (2023). An Australian production will open in Spring 2025 with author Eddie Perfect portraying the title role.
The Pioneer Center is pleased to present the northern Nevada premiere of Beetlejuice. This tour will continue on to San Francisco, Vancouver, Kansas City, Miami, and Toronto among other cities.
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