The Academy of Music Theatre.
Reminder Publishing file photo
NORTHAMPTON — A classic spooky staple is coming to the big stage at the Academy of Music later this month. To celebrate the Halloween season, Academy Youth Productions is presenting “Beetlejuice Jr.” on Thursday, Oct. 29, and Friday, Oct. 30, at 6:30 p.m.
Audience members are invited to see the production based on the blockbuster motion picture-turned-Broadway-musical and the story of strange and unusual teenager Lydia Deetz, who is grieving the loss of her mother and is obsessed with death.
Lydia and her father move to a new house haunted by a recently deceased couple and Beetlejuice, a demon with “a real zest for life.” According to the show synopsis, when Lydia calls on Beetlejuice to scare away anyone with a pulse, this double-crossing specter shows his true stripes and unleashes a (Nether)world of pandemonium.
The youth program’s new 60-minute show is performed by children ages 11-17. The young actors in the Academy Youth Productions performances are the children of Pioneer Valley families, and they have been rehearsing this show since early September.
With music and lyrics by Tony Award nominee Eddie Perfect and a book by Tony Award nominees Anthony King and Scott Brown, “Beetlejuice” was nominated for eight 2019 Tony Awards, including Best New Musical.
Academy of Music Education Director Kyle Lawrence directed and choreographed the show, with music by Lauren Feit and stage management by Madison VanDeurzen. Lawrence told Reminder Publishing that the Youth Productions season still opens with the younger kids in “Pinocchio: My Puppet Pal” on Oct. 23, but this year they added a second fall show with the older age group to bring something specifically tied to Halloween.
“We wanted to bring something more spooky, more eerie, something specifically for the Halloween season in there,” Lawrence said. “The kids love ‘Beetlejuice’ the musical. It’s one they talk and think about all the time, they sing it all the time, and so it was very exciting to get to surprise them and say, ‘hey, we’re actually adding another show to the season, and it’s going to be ‘Beetlejuice.’”
In terms of the show’s themes, Lawrence said kids and people in general love the weird, creepy and spooky aspects. Although “Beetlejuice” has a comedic charm, it also focuses on death. Lawrence said the material offers an interesting angle for older kids to engage with.
“We love Tim Burton, we love celebrating the Halloween season, and at the same time, there’s also kind of a taboo around it of we shouldn’t talk about death, the frightening and the spooky, and a big theme of the show itself,” Lawrence said.
He added that the musical veers away from the source material and instead focuses more on the passing of Lydia’s mother. Lawrence noted that the film doesn’t fully explore that relationship, but the musical does.
“The musical dives more into that; it’s a more recent event, and Lydia’s still grieving and processing that. Her father won’t talk about it, and Lydia feels very unseen and invisible, and it brings parallels to how Beetlejuice is unseen and invisible with that, and how avoiding the topic of death and the hard conversation doesn’t make it easier, and it distances us,” Lawrence explained. “There’s those themes of talking about the hard things, embracing things that we can’t control and don’t understand, but we still should come together and talk to them and not lose the people around us who are still here.”
Lawrence said it is exciting, as program director, to take on bigger challenges with the kids and help them grow and meet higher expectations during the rehearsal process.
“It’s still fun and engaging, but it’s even more like we’re here to work. We’re going to put on a show and work hard at that. Finding the gratification of working hard and putting something together,” he added.
The Academy will host a giveaway in the lobby before the performance, and it will announce winners at the end of the show.
New this year through the Academy will also be the first annual Thriller Parade, happening on the plaza in front of the Academy of Music before Friday, Oct. 30, at 5 and 5:15 p.m. Audience members are encouraged to come by the theatre early to see the performance. Attendance is free, and many of the “Beetlejuice JR.” actors will participate in costume.
Tickets for “Beetlejuice JR.” are $15.20 to $23.95 including fees and can be purchased online at aomtheatre.com by calling the Academy box office at 413-584-9032 x105. Tickets can also be purchased in person during box office hours, Tuesday through Friday, 3-6 p.m. The Academy of Music participates in the Card to Culture program, and limited Card to Culture seats are available for this performance. Call or visit the box office for more information.
Now in his fourth Academy Youth Productions season, Lawrence said it has been fulfilling to see the young people grow over that time and their ability to learn and grasp material. He added that he hopes audiences make it out to the shows.
“When I first started, it was the first time that the Academy was also starting some of the shows specifically geared toward the younger kids, and now those younger kids are the older kids in this show and have really been here to see how they understand better how it works now,” Lawrence said. “We’re able to get a bit more into the meat of what is the script about, what are these characters feeling and thinking. It’s very exciting to work with the kids who I’ve now seen grow into this, and they keep growing and keep going.”
