In 2018, I had good intentions to write my reviews in a timely manner. I started off by writing about two trips to the theatre in early January to see An American in Paris and Meteor Shower. Then, I got sidetracked by job hunting, job getting, and yet more job hunting – so much for my plans. Here I am a year and a half later to tell you about my other trips to the theatre in 2018, to see musical versions of some of my favorite films, Waitress, Dave, and Beetlejuice.
Waitress at National Theatre (May 16)
Last April when my dad visited, we ended up in the Hill Center after walking through Eastern Market. This community center offers cooking and art classes, performances, and so much more; we went there to see the art galleries, populated by local artists. While we were there, I tossed my name into a raffle for two free tickets to see Waitress, the musical, at National Theatre...and I won!
I loved this musical! Based faithful on the 2007 film and directed by Diane Paulus, this show added wonderful songs by Sara Bareilles and fun dances (choreographed by Lorin Latarro). With a new book by Jessie Nelson, the story follows Jenna (Desi Oakley), a talented piemaker who works at a local cafe and dreams of winning an upcoming pie contest so that she can use the prize money to escape her bad marriage and start a new life. When she discovers that she's pregnant, her plan becomes even more urgent.
As the movie does so well, this show explores the serious topics that come with complicated relationships while keeping it funny, bright, and touching. The cast, including fellow waitresses Becky and Dawn (Charity Angel Dawson and Lenna Klingaman), created quirky, memorable characters, who kept us laughing. A particular standout was Jeremy Morse, who played Ogie, Dawn's persistent suitor, whose performance was reminiscent of Ray Bolger's physical comedy.
Go see Waitress, the musical, on Broadway or on tour. It leaves you with a good feeling and a craving for pie.
Dave at Arena Stage (July 24)I questioned whether I'd like to see Dave, the musical, since I remember Kevin Kline so clearly as Dave in the 1993 film. I got over this unfair reason not to see something new, and enjoyed this interpretation, written by Thomas Meehan and Neil Benjamin and directed by Tina Landau.
The story is faithful adaptation of the film; it's about a guy, Dave (Drew Gehling), who impersonates the president for fun on the weekends. He does such a good job that the White House staff enlists him to fill in for the president on various occasions. However, as soon as he's brought in, the president has a medical crisis, and Dave has to fill in while the staff figure out what to do. Eventually, Dave figures out that not all of the staff members have the country's best interest at heart, so he starts making his own decisions. Don't worry, it all works out in the end.
Arena Stage put on this pre-Broadway run. I think I would have enjoyed it more if normal things were happening in the White House right now. I couldn't help but feel that elephant in the room the whole time, but I still liked the show. The writers made smart updates, changing Dave's job from temp agency manager to history teacher so that he knew how the government worked already and adding some social media elements and influence to the story. Classic moments from the film were incorporated into the show, but it became its own fun presentation, with funny songs, creative choreography, and great performances – my favorites being by Bryohna Marie Parham and Josh Breckenridge as White House staffers in charge of PR and security, respectively.
I don't see that Dave is on Broadway now, and I'm not sure what that means. Maybe someone in the White House is tinkering with it.
Beetlejuice at National Theatre (October 31)I don't think Tim Burton was involved with this musical production of his classic 1988 film, Beetlejuice. I also worried that I'd miss seeing Michael Keaton in the title role. Still, when this world-premiere musical arrived at National Theatre ahead of its Broadway run, I was eager to see how director Alex Timbers converted Tim Burton's vision for the stage, and I was happily surprised. While the foundation of this show is the 1989 film, it has a new book by writers Scott Brown and Anthony King with twists in the storyline that makes it its own beast.
Like the movie, the main characters, loving couple Barbara and Adam (Kerri Butler and Rob Mcclure) accidentally die and haunt their home as new tenants move in. The new family's teenage daughter Lydia (Sophia Ann Caruso), who shares a kinship with the undead, is the only one who can see them and the degenerate demon, Beetlejuice (Alex Brightman), whom they'd contacted for help with navigating the afterlife. The new twist here is that Lydia, who never feels like she fits in on Earth with her dad and stepmother, tries to follow them into the afterlife to find her deceased mother.
While this all sounds heavy, it's not. Don't worry, this otherworldly adventure brings father and daughter closer together, and Beetlejuice is as over the top as ever. This show is raunchier than the original story, and I'm not sure I agree with that change: it's not as kid-friendly as the beloved film, but all the adults in the audience roared with laughter so consistently and loudly that my friend and I both commented on it afterward. (Maybe there was something in the air for this Halloween performance.)
I appreciated that this show built something new, different, and exciting out of something so familiar to fans. Everyone screamed when Lydia exclaimed the classic line, "I myself am strange and unusual," and when some of Tim Burton's memorable afterlife puppets showed up. But with catchy songs by Eddie Perfect, fun dances by Connor Gallagher, and impressive puppets of their own, this version of Beetlejuice is a fresh take.
Check out Beetlejuice on Broadway now. It's up for eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Watch the Tonys at 8 p.m. on CBS on June 9th to see if it wins!
