Beetlejuice The Musical will conclude its Houston engagement at the Hobby Center this weekend, with performances scheduled Friday, Saturday and Sunday, including matinee and evening shows, according to The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts. Sunday, November 8, is the final day of the run.
In the touring musical, teenager Lydia Deetz finds herself caught between the living and the dead after encountering a recently deceased couple and a demon, according to Click2Houston. Leianna Weaver plays Lydia, with Ryan Stajmiger as Beetlejuice, per Broadway at the Hobby Center.
A Demon Who Does His Own Makeup
Ryan Stajmiger applies Beetlejuice’s makeup himself, a technique he learned from makeup designer Joe Dulude II, according to KPRC Click2Houston. Dulude also created Idina Menzel’s green Elphaba look for the original Broadway production of Wicked.
The makeup is one element of the production’s visual design. Click2Houston also reports that theatrical effects contribute to the musical’s macabre comedy.
What To Expect — And Who Should Skip It
This is not a show for young kids or anyone easily startled. Broadway at the Hobby Center recommends the production for ages 13 and older, warning that it contains strong language and mature subject matter alongside substantial haze and fog, sudden loud noises, pyrotechnics and strobe lighting effects. Parental discretion is advised for the full two-hour-and-30-minute run time, which includes one intermission.
The Hobby Center’s event listing presents an emotional counterpoint to the show’s scares, calling it “a remarkably touching show about family, love, and making the most of every Day-O.” The touring production also received the 2024 Broadway.com Audience Choice Award for Favorite Tour.
Houston’s Place in the Touring Circuit
The Hobby Center says it opened in 2002 and was purpose-built with musical theater in mind. The Hobby Center identifies its Broadway Series as part of its work, while Broadway.org lists Broadway Across America - Houston and Theatre Under The Stars as the series’ presenters.
Touring Broadway productions reach audiences well beyond Houston: The Broadway League reported 17 million attendances to Broadway tours across the United States and Canada in the 2017–2018 season, according to its research report.
For Houston theatergoers who've been meaning to catch the show, the window is closing fast. With performances running only through Sunday, this weekend marks the last chance to see Beetlejuice work his chaotic magic on the Hobby Center stage.
