'Beetlejuice' musical will get audience into the act in Providence tour stop

Justin Collette knows in the first few minutes of each show just how wacky his character will be.

The veteran actor, who plays the lead in the touring production of “Beetlejuice,” opening April 25 at Providence Performing Arts Center, says there’s a range of inanity he can display.

“The opening number, 'The Whole "Being Dead" Thing,' is a monologue that’s a little insane,” he says. “There are a bunch of jokes and pointed moments to see where I can go.”

Based on the hit 1988 Tim Burton movie, the musical centers on a ghost hired by a newly dead couple to evict the living family that is now occupying their home. While Collette says “the movie doesn’t have a ton of plot,” the musical explores the connection Beetlejuice forges with Lydia, the teenage girl whose father and stepmother bought the house.

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“The inspiration is the movie — and the cartoon, which I was a huge fan of growing up — and it showcases Tim Burton’s aesthetic,” Collette says. “This fleshes it out a little more, but people will get the inside jokes and certain scenes.”

The tour, which kicked off in October, showcases Eddie Perfect’s songwriting skills to create what Collette calls “the most accessible musical I’ve ever seen.”

“You don’t have to be a fan of musical theater, or Tim Burton," he says. "The dialogue feels very familiar.”

'Beetlejuice' star takes his cues from the audience

As Beetlejuice, played in the movie by Michael Keaton, Collette dons the familiar black and white striped suit and zany hairdo but manages to make his own mark on the character, routinely breaking the theatrical “fourth wall” to engage with audiences. To what extent he does so, again, is based on his early audience read.

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“He’s unhinged,” he says of his version of Beetlejuice. “Film acting, to a degree, is smaller than stage acting. In a crowded room, this Beetlejuice gets to be pretty big. And, because I improv with the audience, it’s never the same show twice. The audience is the barometer for where I’m going to take it.”

His Beetlejuice voice, he admits, is tinged with Keaton’s rasp, but also unique.

“I listened to them all — Keaton, Alex Brightman from Broadway and the cartoon. I took more from how I think they produced the voice than the actual voices,” he says, adding that his experience doing cartoon voice acting helps him sustain the voice.

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A funny show with a serious message about loneliness and grief

But the wackiness that unfurls during “Beetlejuice” cannot suppress threads of loneliness and isolation woven throughout. Lydia’s ability to communicate with the dead and the recent loss of her mother, Collette says, leaves her sad enough to want to commit suicide and join them. Meanwhile, Beetlejuice believes that marrying her will allow him to return to the land of the living.

“Lydia anchors the show with an amazing amount of heart as she grieves her mom’s death. The musical deals with that more than the movie,” he says. “It’s not a love story, but more about how you deal with feelings of grief using humor.”

If you go ...

What: "Beetlejuice"

When: April 25-30

Where: Providence Performing Arts Center, 220 Weybosset St., Providence

Tickets: $67-$129

Info: ppacri.org, (401) 421-2787

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: 'Beetlejuice' musical will bring Providence audiences into the act