Alex Brightman out of 'Beetlejuice' while recovering from concussion. Dec. 28 (UPI) -- Alex Brightman has announced he suffered a concussion during a stage mishap last weekend and won't be back in Broadway's Beetlejuice until he gets the "all clear" from doctors.
Earlier this year, Alex Brightman wrapped up a five-year journey in the fan-favorite musical Beetlejuice, taking his final bow as the titular role when the show closed at the Marquis Theatre in January.
The higher running costs were a factor. We only had to cancel one performance because of COVID. We did a lot of pushing and pulling to keep the show alive. But it's an expensive show to run, and there were COVID costs.
“I'm very aware that it really could be the last time I am on Broadway,” said Brightman, 35, who for parts of the past four years has played the ghostly guide to the other side in “Beetlejuice,” the Broadway musical based on the 1988 Tim Burton film about a face-off between a goth girl and a devious demon.
8, 2023. But fear not, fans of the afterlife — the stage-version of Tim Burton's 1988 film about a pesky poltergeist isn't going away entirely. After the curtain comes down on Broadway, “Beetlejuice” is embarking on a 26-city national tour, beginning on Dec.
Burton's original choice for Beetlejuice was Sammy Davis, Jr. The producers also considered Dudley Moore and Sam Kinison for the role, but Geffen suggested Keaton. Burton was unfamiliar with Keaton's work, but was quickly convinced.
There is some inappropriate language and scenes. Lot of sexual innuendos and use of the f- bomb. Might go over your child's head, but up to you if you want to chance it.
At its grimy heart, it's screwball showmanship larded with poignant themes, eye-popping visuals and hammy melodies. Even with its overstuffed libretto and low-reaching songs, “Beetlejuice” honors and expands on its source material, bringing richness to a beloved story about, well, death.
But the truth is, “Beetlejuice” was unlikely to recoup. It cost around $20 million and would have to run for several years at capacity to return that kind of money. “The Music Man,” on the other hand, will open like gangbusters.
Star Alex Brightman, who earned a Tony Award nomination for his performance, sustained a concussion during the musical's Dec. 24 performance. The actor reported on Instagram that he “will be out of the show until I can get an 'all clear' from a doctor.
"Sophia has decided to exercise her contractual out to pursue television work." Presley Ryan is playing the role of Lydia through this weekend, and the production plans to announce a new Lydia next week. It's unusual for a star to exit a Broadway production with no advance warning.
Alex Brightman (no relation, repeat: no relation) was born in 1987 to an American mother also named Brightman in Saratoga, Calif., who worked at a dialysis clinic. Still, Brightman and “The Boss” have enjoyed toying with the press' fascination with the name.
She was fifteen, she turned sixteen on the movie. She was a prodigy. From a very young age, she was an old soul. She really got the words and the imagery.
"With Beetlejuice now on the loose in Los Angles, California where Lydia's husband 'Alex Loughty' (Robert Downey Jr.) works, the Loughty Family must come together to defeat the ghost with the most once again..."
Most importantly, original star Michael Keaton will be back in the graveyard in the title role (spelled Betelgeuse). Several other actors from the 1988 comedy are said to be returning, including Winona Ryder as Lydia Deetz and Catherine O'Hara as Delia Deetz.
Beetlejuice in the musical is a much more complicated, negative, and even evil character, but also has more of an arc with becoming more sympathetic. His abusive mother Juno and his loneliness at being born dead add a sadness that wasn't there in the movie.
While Lydia Deetz's age was never explicitly stated in Beetlejuice, she's confirmed to be a high school student who is likely about 16 years old, which was Winona Ryder's age when the original 1988 movie was released.
There are parts that are a little spooky, with one moment making me visibly jump in my seat. However, if that is the only negative thing I can say about Beetlejuice the Musical, then the show itself must be amazing. I laughed so much I was crying and crying so hard at other times that I couldn't see out of my glasses.
