Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

“Beetlejuice, Jr” released just last year, has been on the wish list of musicals for director Melissa Keltner and music director Brenda Mosko.
Once the show became available, the directors quickly ordered it for their cast. Students excitedly auditioned for their parts in February, and from there, the show has evolved into one of the most fun musicals presented on the South Davie Middle School stage.
Based on the blockbuster motion picture turned Broadway musical, Beetlejuice JR. tells the story of a strange and unusual teenager named Lydia Deetz (Grace Youker), who is grieving the loss of her mother and obsessed with death. Luckily for Lydia, she and her father move to a new house haunted by a recently deceased couple, Adam and Barbara Maitland (Ty Cozart, Karileigh Munday), and Beetlejuice (Maurice McKee), a delightful demon with a zest for life. When Lydia calls on Beetlejuice to scare away anyone with a pulse, this double-crossing specter shows his true stripes, unleashing a (Nether)world of pandemonium.
Although the production lightens the topic of death with humorous characters and dialogue, the show portrays the process of coping with grief. In essence, the musical leads the audience through the journey from Lydia’s mother’s death to coming to terms with it, and Lydia and her father, Charles (Kayden Young), mend their relationship.
Despite being a junior version, “Beetlejuice, Jr.” has given the cast of 28 students a chance to be creative. Beetlejuice has a large and fervent fan base among people of all ages. Beetlejuice JR. is sure to leave audience members laughing and singing those catchy tunes for hours after they leave the theater, Mosko said.
South Davie Middle School’s musical theater students will present Beetlejuice JR. on May 15 and 16 at 6 p.m. in the South Davie Theater. Tickets are $10. For more information, call South Davie at 336.751.5941.