Some shows arrive in the West End with excitement. Beetlejuice arrived with expectations.
Between Tim Burton’s beloved 1988 film, Michael Keaton’s iconic performance, and years of building a devoted cult following across Broadway, the Prince Edward Theatre wasn’t simply welcoming a new musical. It was welcoming a show that many in the audience already felt fiercely protective of.
Thankfully, this production understands exactly what makes Beetlejuice work. It doesn’t play it safe or try to soften the edges, and it certainly doesn’t attempt to make its title character more respectable. Instead, it embraces the chaos, the darkness, and the wonderfully inappropriate humour that made people fall in love with the story in the first place.
For a musical centred around grief, ghosts, and the afterlife, Beetlejuice is bursting with energy. The humour is relentless, the pace rarely lets up, and there’s an infectious sense that absolutely anything could happen next.
Director Alex Timbers described wanting the show to feel loose and unpredictable, even though it’s built on a tightly structured script. Having now seen it, I can’t think of a better description. The production feels reactive, playful, and constantly alive. Jokes land differently depending on audience reactions, throwaway comments feel spontaneous, and there’s an electricity running through the entire evening that keeps you leaning forward.
It isn’t polished into perfection. It’s deliberately messy in all the right places.
For a musical centred around death, Beetlejuice is bursting with life.
Hannah Nordberg is a sensational Lydia Deetz
At the centre of it all is Hannah Nordberg as Lydia Deetz.
Lydia needs to balance darkness with vulnerability, sarcasm with sincerity, and teenage angst with genuine emotional depth. Nordberg manages all of that effortlessly. Vocally, she’s sensational. Every song feels purposeful rather than simply impressive, and there’s a richness and control to her voice that makes even the biggest numbers feel intimate. She commands attention whenever she’s on stage.
More importantly, she completely captures Lydia’s personality. She’s witty, sharp, cheeky, emotional, and funny in equal measure. The character’s darker edges never feel forced, while the more vulnerable moments land exactly as they should. Even when surrounded by giant sandworms, elaborate effects, and supernatural mayhem, your eyes naturally find their way back to her.
Having never seen Beetlejuice the Musical before, I appreciate that this may be a bold statement, but if I ever watch the show again, I suspect I’ll struggle not to compare every Lydia to Hannah Nordberg. She feels so perfectly suited to the role.
David Fynn makes Beetlejuice his own
Stepping into a role so closely associated with Michael Keaton is never an easy task.
David Fynn wisely avoids imitation and instead creates a Beetlejuice that feels entirely his own. At first, I wasn’t entirely sure what to make of his interpretation, but the longer the show went on, the more I found myself warming to it.
By the end, I was completely won over.
Fynn’s Beetlejuice is inappropriate, chaotic, bumbling, and utterly hilarious. The modern references and impressions of other West End productions feel fresh rather than forced, giving the show a distinctly British flavour while keeping the material feeling current.
His chemistry with Nordberg is outstanding. Their scenes crackle with energy, and much of the show’s success rests on their ability to bounce off one another so naturally.
Beetlejuice himself spends much of the evening overstepping the line. Then sprinting past it. Then setting fire to it. Yet somehow the writing makes it work. In my opinion, that’s the point of the character. He’s not supposed to be charming in a traditional sense. He’s a morally questionable ghost causing havoc for his own amusement.
The fact audiences end up loving him anyway is a testament to both the writing and Fynn’s performance.
A cast that never misses
While Nordberg and Fynn understandably command attention, this is one of those rare productions where there genuinely isn’t a weak link anywhere on stage. The entire company throws themselves into the show’s wonderfully unhinged energy.
David Hunter and Chelsea Halfpenny deserve particular mention. Their chemistry brings warmth and humanity to the production, offering a welcome contrast to the darkness and chaos unfolding around them. Having previously seen Hunter as Matt in 13 Going on 30, it was a genuine treat to see his versatility on display here. The role couldn’t be more different, yet he slips into it effortlessly, bringing a completely new energy to the stage.
Together, they provide the emotional heartbeat that prevents the show from becoming pure spectacle.
Beetlejuice the Musical understands the assignment
When it comes to overall production, the creative team haven’t attempted to reinvent the source material beyond recognition, nor have they recreated the film scene by scene. Instead, they’ve found a balance that allows the musical to stand confidently on its own while retaining what audiences love about the original story.
The staging embraces the show’s larger-than-life identity. From the enormous sandworm to the oversized visual surprises that appear throughout the evening, this is very much a full-scale West End production. Every effect feels designed to enhance the show’s wonderfully chaotic personality rather than distract from it.
For a production this unapologetically over-the-top, the scale feels entirely justified. Beetlejuice thrives on excess, and the staging leans into that with confidence.
The result is a production that feels fast-moving, unpredictable and constantly entertaining. It captures exactly the kind of loose, reactive energy Alex Timbers has spoken about, creating the impression that anything could happen next, even when every beat is meticulously choreographed.
Final thoughts
I completely understand why Beetlejuice has become a cult favourite.
It’s outrageous, wildly inappropriate, occasionally jaw-dropping, and laugh-out-loud funny. Yet beneath all the supernatural nonsense sits a surprisingly heartfelt story about grief, family, and finding connection in unexpected places.
In an era where many productions can feel carefully calculated, Beetlejuice embraces risk. It pushes boundaries, knowingly crosses lines, and somehow lands on its feet every single time.
Beetlejuice is a show about ghosts, grief, death and the afterlife. Yet somehow, by the time the curtain falls, it leaves you feeling remarkably alive. And that’s probably the greatest trick this wonderfully chaotic musical pulls off.
Beetlejuice is running on the West End for a limited time. Book your tickets now.
Kelsey Haslam is the founding editor of Magenta Adventures Travel Publication and a freelance travel writer with a focus on community-based travel, culture-led experiences, and theatre tourism. She is passionate about spotlighting lesser-known destinations and connecting travellers with meaningful, human-centred stories.
Her published work includes destination features and luxury hotel reviews for leading travel outlets such as A Luxury Travel Blog, Beau Monde Traveler, and Luxury Lifestyle Magazine.
Explore more about Kelsey’s background on the About Page.
