Beetlejuice - PLOT SYNOPSIS

2019 Broadway
Beetlejuice the Musical - PLOT SYNOPSIS


Act 1

The show opens on Emily Deetz’s funeral (Lydia’s Deetz's mother). As the pastor speaks, Lydia reflects on the death of her mother and her own inability to be noticed. Just at the end, Beetlejuice jumps up, mocking the sad scene. ("Prologue: Invisible") Beetlejuice then begins his own speech about the show, mentioning that the majority of the show will be about death, while directly addressing the audience. He talks about the inevitability of death and ridicules the people who believe in living life to the fullest, as he believes that it is pointless in the fact that it will all be worthless once death comes. ("The Whole "Being Dead" Thing")

We are then Adam and Barbara Maitland, a normal, married couple who desperately want to start a family, but they are not emotionally ready and instead express their anxiety that they will fail at parenthood by projecting their parental energies into taking care of various delicate things– antiques and pottery as safer/easier surrogates for a baby. As Adam and Barbara reason to themselves why they're not ready for a child, they fall to their untimely death due to unstable floorboards. Beetlejuice returns and reinstates the fact that the show is about death. ("Ready Set, Not Yet") “The Handbook for the Recently Deceased” falls from the sky, but Beetlejuice burns it, wanting the newly deceased Maitlands to get a living person to say his name three times, which will allow him to be seen by all living beings. When Barbara and Adam awaken from their fatal fall and realize that they are dead, Beetlejuice pops up. Beetlejuice continues to explain to the dead Maitland couple that they are in fact dead. He also comments on the fact that he finds them nice but bland and should be glad he was there to guide them. ("The Whole "Being Dead" Thing Pt. 2") The focus then returns to the Deetz family and Charles (Lydia’s dad) explains how he wants to start a gated community and is having a dinner part with some business friends. We see Lydia, who expresses her desire for her mother to return, mentioning the fact that nobody seems to care that she's gone. Praying for her mother to send a sign that she's still there, Lydia vows to make her father acknowledge the fact that tragedy struck their family. ("Dead Mom") Meanwhile, Beetlejuice explains to the Maitlands that since they died, another family (the Deetzs) have bought their house and that if they want it back they have to scare the current family out. Despite trying to teach them how to scare, Babara and Adam are not scary at all. (“Fright of their Lives”) Then the Maitlands try to haunt the house in hopes of scaring the Deetz away. Meanwhile, Deila, a woman Charles hired to be Lydia’s life coach, tells Lydia how everything happens for a reason, but fails to get her in a positive state of mind. (“No Reason”) Lydia meets the Maitlands. They are very surprised that she can see them because living people can usually not see ghosts. Lydia wants to leave the house just as much as the Maitlands want her family out. So then she tries to convince her dad that the house is haunted only to find out that he and Deila are engaged. Feeling as if Charles is just trying to replace Lydia’s mom, Lydia storms out. Beetlejuice then sings about feeling unnoticed and finds Lydia trying to kill herself. She can also see Beetlejuice and this makes him very happy. (“Invisible Reprise/On the Roof”)

Beetlejuice tries to convince Lydia not to kill herself and tells her that he can get revenge on her dad if she says his names three times in a row. The Maitlands come to check on Lydia only to be possessed by Beetlejuice. Upon seeing that any ghost can possess, regardless of skill, Lydia decides not to work with Beetlejuice and instead works with the Maitlands to hatch a plan to ruin Charles' dinner party by possessing his dinner guests. (“Say My Name”) Things do not go as planned and the investors see the ghosts as a selling point, making them more interested in their project In Charles' project. Desperate for change, Lydia resorts to summoning Beetlejuice, thus beginning their time working together and fulfilling his wish to be seen. ("Day-o (The Banana Boat Song)")

Act 2

A young Girl Scout named Skye skips down the road, explaining to the audience how she has a heart disease where any shocking thing could stop her heart, but nevertheless is excited to be a Girl Scout. She knocks on the door of the Deetz’s house to be greeted by Lydia, who invites her inside. ("Girl Scout") Beetlejuice appears and frightens the poor girl into leaving. He summons more versions of himself to help Lydia scare every visitor that comes into the house. ("That Beautiful Sound") Beetlejuice tells Lydia that now that she lives and works amongst the dead, she should also follow their rules, and gives her “The Handbook for the Recently Deceased”. However, because she is not dead, Lydia can’t open it. She runs to the attic for Barbara and Adam’s help. Beetlejuice talks with his clones about how even though he can be seen, he wants to be alive. He decides he must trick Lydia into helping him with the old “Bait and Switch” trick. In the attic, Barbara and Adam help Lydia open the Handbook, where they realize they should have gone straight to the Netherworld. Adam opens the door to the Netherworld, but Barbara shuts it, afraid of leaving the house and of change. Lydia berates them because she hoped to use the book to summon her dead mother. She exits the attic in disappointment and anger. Barbara realizes that all of their fear has held the Maitlands back, and she and Adam decide to become bolder and better. Not only for themselves, but also to help Lydia. (Barbara 2.0) Delia and Charles enter the house in an attempt to rescue Lydia. Delia has brought along her guru Otho, as he has claims that he had a machine that can help exorcise the ghosts.

 

Review: Beetlejuice the Musical Songs Lyrics
Synopsis to Beetlejuice the Musical


Beetlejuice the Musical Lyrics

SYNOPSIS
Prologue: Invisible
The Whole Being Dead Thing
Ready, Set, Not Yet
The Whole Being Dead Thing Pt. 2
Dead Mom
Fright of Their Lives
No Reason
Invisible (Reprise)/ On the Roof
Say My Name
Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)
Girl Scout
That Beautiful Sound
That Beautiful Sound (Reprise)
Barbara 2.0
The Whole 'Being Dead' Thing Pt. 3
Good Old-Fashioned Wedding
What I Know Now
Home
Creepy Old Guy
Jump in the Line (Shake, Señora)