Alex Brightman to Lead BEETLEJUICE in D.C. — Page 2

Mercades said: "Bwayfan292 said: "I would say Dewey Fin is a very physical demanding role, im glad he took shows off so he didnt injury his voice or body. "

But thank goodness elephaba’s are expected to fulfill 8 shows a week. Poor Dewey !"

You can’t even make that comparison they are such different roles.

I've never heard a negative word about him from anyone in the industry.

Maybe musical theatre writers should stop writing roles that are impossible to sing 8 times a week. Seems like most composers these days think that they won't be taken seriously if they don't include a ton of high belting.

JSquared2 said: "Kad said: "...really? The antipathy is due to his School of Rock performance attendance?"

Well people here are still holding grudges against Bernadette Peters, Donna Murphyand Laura Benanti for missingshows 10-20 years ago --- why shouldn't Brightman's work ethic be held to the same standard?"

Oh please. Not only was Dewey an incredibly VOCALLY demanding role, physically it was WAY harder than any of those female lead roles. Did you see the amount of weight Alex lost during the run. By the end of his run he was actually a little less schlubby than the character really needed to be!

Kad said: "I assume they are waiting to announce Butler when the rest of the casting is finalized. It makes sense to announce the leading man and woman to drum up hype, and then have a second casting announcement to continue that."



Interesting, I never thought of the role of Lydia, as played in the movie, as being the leading lady. I always thought the two leads after the title character were the Maitlands. After all, it is their story.

Updated On: 8/17/18 at 11:26 AM

Lydia is the more iconic character, so not surprised the role was included in the initial announcement

When I was little my only exposure to Beetlejuice was that awful cartoon. It was always on and I never enjoyed it. A few years ago I begrudgingly watched the movie... and was so surprised by how good it was, it's now one of my favorites.

I guess what I'm trying to get at is, Beetlejuice adaptations can go very wrong if they decide to cater towards children instead of maintaining the (very) dark themes of the movie. Putting Lydia in the forefront makes me skeptical. Alex Brightman does initially seem like a good pick, but I am curious if he was chosen because School of Rock is a kid's show.

I'm thrilled with this announcement. Alex will be perfect! I was lucky enough to see Sophia in The Secret Life of Bees workshop - her voice is stunning.

The apparent full cast for DC. Conspicuously absent is the Sylvia Sidney role, that had been performed by Carole Shelley in the workshops.

Leslie Kritzer is the casting I am most excited about.

BEETLEJUICE- Complete Cast Announced!

Not sure- Shelley was playing a character named Mrs. Shogoth. I am assuming it was an expanded/re-imagined version of Juno, considering the Lovecraftian name and Carole Shelley's taking it on.

Updated On: 8/22/18 at 10:16 AM

Kad, did you get to see the workshop-era script?

As far as the character not being there, I couldn't help but notice that Maxie and Maxine Dean (characters who only appear in the film's finale) are listed here as supporting leads. While this could mean those roles have been beefed up, it could also imply that those two actors are playing multiple roles (of which Juno/Mrs. Shoggoth could be one), with those being the most immediately prominent. Beryl and the perky realtor are not listed either, although those would SEEM, based on the movie, to be notable roles as well.)

Updated On: 8/22/18 at 11:10 AM

darquegk said: "Kad, did you get to see the workshop-era script?

As far as the character not being there, I couldn't help but notice that Maxie and Maxine Dean (characters who only appear in the film's finale) are listed here as supporting leads. While this could mean those roles have been beefed up, it could also imply that those two actors are playing multiple roles (of which Juno/Mrs. Shoggoth could be one), with those being the most immediately prominent. Beryl and the perky realtor are not listed either, although those would SEEM, based on the movie, to be notable roles as well.)"

I have not read or attended the workshop incarnations- I am just privy to casting information.

The Deans, in those workshops, were also ensemble tracks- essentially just featured ensemble parts and not principals. It is possible that now the Juno/Shoggoth role has been folded into a similar ensemble track.