MILWAUKEE — The musical comedy “Beetlejuice” is returning to Wisconsin. This time the show is bringing its iconic neon green and purple aesthetic to Milwaukee.
The show follows Lydia Deetz, a teen mourning the loss of her mother. Her life gets flipped upside down when she meets a deceased couple “and a demon with a thing for stripes.”
The musical comedy is based on Tim Burton’s 1988 film of the same name.
“I hadn’t seen the show when I auditioned for it, but I was a huge fan of the movie,” Sarah Litzsinger, who plays Delia, the love interest of Lydia’s father, on the national tour. “Catherine O’Hara [who plays Delia in the film], of course, was so iconic and hilarious in the film and so I was super excited to audition for it. After I auditioned, I got to see it on Broadway and I was like, ‘Oh yeah, I love this show. It’s so great.’”
Litzsinger has been performing with the tour since Dec. 2023, and said the show has been a blast each day to perform.
Audiences, she said, have just as much fun as the cast. Plenty of audience members will dawn Beetlejuice’s iconic stripes to see the musical or deck themselves out in green and purple neon hues.
“Audiences in every single city go absolutely wild for the show,” she said. “That’s like incredibly energizing for all of us. It feels like we’re rock stars. It’s amazing.”
And when it comes to the Milwaukee audience, Litzsinger is just as excited to see them.
She has a history of performing in Milwaukee. Her resume includes “Next to Normal” in 2011 and “Assassins” in 2012, both at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater. Litzsinger has also performed in one of the Rep’s gala.
“I just had an incredible time working at the Rep and I love Milwaukee in general, so I am really excited,” she said. “…I’m excited to visit the Third Ward again and I have my favorite restaurants that I like to go to, so I’m hoping they’re all still there.”
“Last time I was there, I really liked visiting all of the different breweries. That was really fun … Of course, [I loved] the statue of the Fonz. That’s pretty iconic, as well. I just think it’s a really quaint city. Everyone’s really nice.”
Litzsinger isn’t the only one “Beetlejuice” fans in the Badger State may recognize. Madison Mosley, who graduated from the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music this year, is in the ensemble and portrays the show’s Girl Scout.
Mosley is originally from Sun Prairie, Wis., and was a performer in the Overture Center for the Arts’ Jerrys program. The Jerrys highlights high caliber high school musical theater performers. Mosley performed in The Jerrys in 2018 with Verona Area Community Theatre’s “Hairspray” and again in the 2019 award show with Sun Prairie High School.
Mosley is also the understudy for leading gothic teen Lydia. According to Mosley, Lydia was one of her dream roles to play. She will be taking over the role full time starting Oct. 22 in the musical comedy.
The cast of “Beetlejuice” takes the “comedy” element of show pretty seriously — Litzsinger called Justin Collette’s titular character an unafraid, “agent of chaos” — but Lydia is the one who highlights the tender messages behind the importance of family.
The second-act solo song “Home” is Litzsinger’s favorite moment in the show.
“I would say that Beetlejuice is definitely a gateway musical, possibly for people who might not be into musicals per se. It’s very modern. The dialogue is very funny, very snappy. The audience … is going to be laughing so hard that their stomachs are going to hurt, their faces are going to hurt, because it’s so funny,” she said.
“The show has a surprising element which is a lot of tenderness and heart. The show is really ultimately about family and it kind of sneaks up on you where you’re like ‘Oh I thought this was just a straight up musical comedy,’ but it really has both those elements, which I think really makes it sing because it’s entertaining but it’s also heartfelt.”
“Beetlejuice” runs at the Marcus Performing Arts Center from Oct. 1 to 6. Tickets are available, here.
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