“Beetlejuice, the Musical Jr.” will be performed by the Warsaw Community High School Select Theatre this weekend at the WCHS Performing Arts Center.
Abigail Leslie, who is playing Juno and members of the ensemble, said the musical doesn’t necessarily follow the original movie, but does follow protagonist Lydia Deetz, who is navigating the loss of her mother.
Lydia is also dealing with her father moving on with his life “while she’s still stuck. Then we’ve got our guy Beetlejuice, who wants to be alive. So he tries to get these newly deads, Barbara and Adam, to help him out being alive.”
Lydia then meets Beetlejuice and they “go on this whole adventure in the netherworld.”
Abigail Fisher, who is playing Barbara, said with her character everything is as light and airy as it possibly could be with everything that’s going on, including her character’s death. She thinks, with her character, she’s trying to make it better than it actually is.
Brooklyn Stewart, who is an ensemble cast member and plays the priest in the musical, said she thinks the musical is such a fun thing to do. It also brings together multiple age groups because there’s people who grew up watching the movie and loved it. Now, there’s a younger generation who may not want to go see the movie but like the plot.
A cast of about 14 students started rehearsing in January for this weekend’s performance. Leslie said it has been coming together nicely.
“Beetlejuice” is a Black Box performance at the PAC, so seating is limited. Black Box performances generally have smaller casts and can be performed in the round.

    “Beetlejuice, The Musical Jr.” will be at the Warsaw Community High School Performing Arts Center this weekend. Photo by Jackie Gorski, Times-Union
  

Show times are Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.
Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students and seniors in advance. At the door, tickets are $18 for adults and $13 for students and seniors.
Leslie said she thinks the moral of the musical is to be true to yourself and to focus on the good rather the bad.
She said she was ecstatic when “Beetlejuice” was chosen because it’s one of her favorite movies.
Stewart said she loves the original “Beetlejuice” movie and the sequel, and everything scary. She has also been a fan of the musical since 2020.
Fisher said she auditioned for the musical because she really loves theater and the community and thinks it’s really fun.