History Theatre / Beetlejuice

After perishing in a gruesome car accident, loving couple Barbara and Adam Maitland return to their home as ghosts and find that it's now under the ownership of the recently widowed Charles Deetz, his teenage goth daughter Lydia (who's still having a difficult time coping with the loss of her mother), and Delia, Lydia's life coach who's secretly in a relationship with the girl's father (a notable change from the film, in which she was simply her stepmother). Desperate to scare the family out of their beloved house, the Maitlands end up enlisting the help of the perverted and loudmouthed ghoul Betelgeuse, who eventually strikes up a wicked plan involving Lydia...

The musical alters and rearranges many parts of the original story, but stays true to the zany, gothic visuals and absurd BlackComedy of Burton's classic. It was nominated for eight Tony Awards for the 2018-2019 season, including Best Musical.

* AdaptationalJobChange: Otho is no longer an interior designer; instead, he's a priest, guru, and cult leader (or so he claims).
* AdaptationalUgliness: In the movie, Juno was one of the few normal-looking ghosts in the Netherworld, with her only distinguishable feature being the huge slice in her throat. She looks a ''lot'' more exaggerated here, with a wrinkly white face and an enormous grey BeehiveHairdo. If anything, her design is more in line with the traditional Tim Burton artstyle.

* BatmanGambit: BJ modifies the handbook so Lydia won't know how dangerous it really is and think she can bring her mother back. Even after ''seeing'' the danger with the Maitlands first-hand, she falls for it hook, line, and sinker because she's ''that'' desperate to have her mother back.
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Lydia and Mr. Deetz have the whole cast pull this on Betelgeuse, by actually letting him marry Lydia to live again... only to kill him within a minute so they can send him to the Netherworld and be rid of him.

** In the movie, Otho's a major supporting character who accompanies the Deetz family from the start. Here, he doesn't show up until Act 2, and is quickly disposed of a few scenes later.

* FreudianSlip: Betelgeuse does this about murder a ''lot.''

TheMusical adaptation of Creator/TimBurton's ''Film/{{Beetlejuice}}'', which started its run in Washington DC in 2018 and opened on Broadway a year later.

* CanonForeigner: The Girl Scout, who gets her own song at the top of Act 2 and acts as BJ and Lydia's first scare victim.

After perishing in a gruesome car accident, loving couple Barbara and Adam Maitland return to their home as ghosts and find that it's now under the ownership of the recently widowed Charles Deetz, his teenage goth daughter Lydia (who's still having a difficult time coping with the loss of her mother), and Delia, Lydia's life coach who's secretly in a relationship with the girl's father (a notable change from the film, in which she was simply Lydia's stepmother). Desperate to scare the family out of their beloved house, the Maitlands end up enlisting the help of the perverted and loudmouthed ghoul Betelgeuse, who eventually strikes up a wicked plan involving Lydia...

TheMusical adaptation of Beetlejuice, which started its run in Washington DC in 2018.

* DemotedToExtra: The Maitlands, due to the play focusing more on Lydia grieving for her dead mother. They still play a very important role, but it is diminished from their film selves.

* AdaptationalAlternateEnding: Instead of banishing BJ by saying his name three times again or getting him eaten, the cast gets him brought to life... to kill him and send him to the Netherworld. Then Juno comes for revenge on Lydia for escaping the netherworld and ends up the one eaten by a giant snake, as BJ tries to protect life now that he knows what it feels like, and he runs off to do something new while the two families decide to live together like in the film.
* AdaptationalAttractiveness: Applied to Betelgeuse himself, believe it or not. His hair is now much neater (if not a little exaggerated), and he no longer has the black eye makeup and ugly teeth. He even wears the signature striped suit for the majority of the show, instead of the old, dirty clothes that he wore in the film.

* AdaptationalJobChange: Otho is no longer an interior designer; instead, he's a priest and cult leader (or so he claims).

* DeathByAdaptation: Otho

* AdaptationalUgliness: In the movie, Juno was one of the few normal-looking ghosts in the Netherworld, with her only distinguishable feature being the huge slice in her throat. Here, she looks a lot more exaggerated, with a wrinkly white face and an enormous grey BeehiveHairdo. If anything, her design is more in line with the typical Tim Burton artstyle.

** Denial/Bargaining: Lydia denies that the Handbook and Netherworld are dangerous because she thinks she can use them to bring her mother back, spurred on by BJ’s claims that there’s a resurrection spell in the Handbook. She attempts to use it - and Barbara begins to disintegrate. As a horrified Adam and Lydia look on, BJ gleefully spills the beans on his BatmanGambit- knowing Lydia was ''that'' desperate to see her beloved mother again that she’d jump at the first opportunity to do so, he tricked her into using a spell... for''exorcising'' ghosts. High on his victory, BJ mocks Lydia’s weakness, cruelly tells her that her mom's gone for good, and forces her to accept his ScarpiaUltimatum just so he'll stop the exorcism.

** Denial/Bargaining: Lydia denies that the Handbook and Netherworld are dangerous because she thinks she can use them to bring her mother back. She's ''dead'' wrong- when Lydia finally attempts to use a spell from the Handbook to do so, Barbara begins to disintegrate. As a horrified Adam and Lydia look on, BJ gleefully spills the beans on his BatmanGambit- knowing Lydia would attempt to use the Handbook to resurrect her beloved mother, he "edited" the Handbook so that the spell Lydia used is one that ''exorcises'' ghosts. High on his victory, BJ mocks Lydia’s weakness, cruelly tells her that her mom's gone for good, and forces her to accept his ScarpiaUltimatum just so he'll stop the exorcism.

* BatmanGambit: BJ modifies the handbook so Lydia won't know how dangerous it really is and think she can bring her mother back. Even after ''seeing'' the danger with the Maitlands first-hand, she falls for it hook, line, and sinker because she's so desperate to have her mother back.

** Denial/Bargaining: Lydia denies that the Handbook and Netherworld are dangerous because she thinks she can use them to bring her mother back. She's ''dead'' wrong- when Lydia attempts to use a spell to bring her mother back, Barbara begins to disintegrate. As a horrified Adam and Lydia look on, BJ gleefully spills the beans on his BatmanGambit- knowing Lydia would attempt to use [[ShmuckBait the Handbook]] to resurrect her beloved mother, he "edited" the Handbook so that the spell Lydia used is one that ''exorcises'' ghosts. High on his victory, BJ mocks Lydia, cruelly tells her that her mom's gone for good, and forces her to accept his ScarpiaUltimatum just so he'll stop the exorcism.

** Denial/Bargaining: Lydia denies that the Handbook and Netherworld are dangerous because she thinks she can use them to bring her mother back. She's ''dead'' wrong- when Lydia attempts to use a spell to bring her mother back, Barbara begins to disintegrate. As a horrified Adam and Lydia look on, BJ gleefully gloats that he made modifications to the Handbook, and that the spell Lydia used is one that ''exorcises'' ghosts. He mocks her gullibility, bluntly tells her that her mother's gone for good, and forces her to accept his ScarpiaUltimatum to get him to stop the exorcism.

** Denial/Bargaining: Lydia denies that the Handbook and Netherworld are dangerous because she thinks she can use them to bring her mother back. She's *dead* wrong- due to BJ's modifications to the Handbook, Lydia unwittingly starts exorcising Barbara instead. As a horrified Adam and Lydia look on, unable to stop it, BJ gleefully gloats about his deceit to Lydia, bluntly tells her that her mother's gone for good, and forces her to accept his ScarpiaUltimatum to stop the exorcism.

** Denial/Bargaining: Lydia denies that the Handbook and Netherworld are dangerous because she thinks she can use them to bring her mother back. She's *dead* wrong- due to BJ's modifications to the Handbook, Lydia unwittingly starts exorcising Barbara instead. As a horrified Adam and Lydia watch, unable to stop it, BJ gloats to Lydia, outright mocks her by admitting that her mother's gone for good, and forces her to accept his ScarpiaUltimatum to stop the exorcism.

** Denial/Bargaining: Lydia denies that the Handbook and Netherworld are dangerous because she thinks she can use them to bring her mother back. She's dead wrong- due to BJ's modifications to the Handbook, Lydia's attempt unwittingly starts exorcising Barbara instead. When Lydia confronts him, BJ mocks her gullibility, gloats that her mom's gone for good, and forces her into a ScarpiaUltimatum to stop the exorcism.

** Denial/Bargaining: Lydia denies that the Handbook and Netherworld are dangerous because she thinks she can use them to get her mother back. She's dead wrong- due to BJ's modifications to the Handbook, Lydia nearly exorcises Barbara instead. He mocks Lydia's gullibility, admits her mom's gone for good, and forces her into a ScarpiaUltimatum to save Barbara.

** Denial/Bargaining: Lydia denies that the Handbook and Netherworld are dangerous because she thinks she can use them to get her mother back. She's dead wrong- due to BJ's modifications to the Handbook, Lydia nearly exorcises Barbara completely. He mocks Lydia's gullibility, admits her mother's gone for good, and forces her into a ScarpiaUltimatum to save Barbara.

** Denial/Bargaining: Lydia denies that the Handbook and Netherworld are dangerous because she thinks she can use them to get her mother back. She's dead wrong- due to BJ's modifications to the Handbook, Lydia nearly exorcises Barbara completely. He mocks Lydia's gullibility, admits her mother's gone for good, and uses this leverage to force her to marry him to save Barbara.

** Denial/Bargaining: Denies that the book and Netherworld are dangerous because she thinks she can use them to get her mother back. She's dead wrong- due to BJ's modifications to the Handbook, Lydia nearly exorcises Barbara completely. He flat out mocks her gullibility, tells her her mother's gone for good, and forces her to marry him to save Barbara.

* DrivenToSuicide: Lydia, as in the film. Unlike the film, BJ's main reason for stopping her is explicitly that he needs her alive to say his name.

** Denial/Bargaining: Denies that the book and Netherworld are dangerous because she thinks she can use them to get her mother back. She's wrong, it's just a trick by BJ so he can force her to marry him.

* AdaptationalAlternateEnding: Instead of banishing BJ by saying his name three times again or getting him eaten, the cast gets him brought to life... to kill him and send him to the Netherworld. Then Juno comes for revenge on Lydia and ends up the one eaten by a giant snake, as BJ tries to protect life now that he knows what it feels like, and he runs off to do something new while the two families decide to live together like in the film.

** Betelgeuse manipulates the Maitlands from the start instead of merely being hired by them and then going into his schemes. He plans pretty much everything that happens to them. He's also way, way more into killing and/or murder, much to the horror of whoever he's talking to.

** Denial/Bargaining: Denies that the book and Netherworld are dangerous because she thinks she can use them to get her mother back. She's wrong, it's just a trick by BJ.

* RefugeInAudacity: "Creepy Old Guy" starts with BJ not buying any of the con until things get so utterly over the top (both Maitlands coming onto him including Adam kissing him, wacky dance numbers, lots of Lydia laying it on thick) that he assumes that sure, Lydia absolutely wants to marry him and let him get what he wants because she has somehow developed a crush on a creepy old guy. Why not?

* AdaptationalAlternateEnding: Instead of banishing BJ by saying his name three times again or getting him eaten, the cast gets him brought to life...to kill him and send him to the Netherworld. Then Juno comes for revenge on Lydia and ends up the one eaten by a giant snake as BJ tries to protect life now that he knows what it feels like, and he runs off to do something new while the two families decide to live together like in the film.

* AdaptationalVillainy: Betelgeuse, by manipulating the Maitlands from the start instead of merely being hired by them and then going into his schemes. He plans pretty much everything that happens to them. He's also way, way more into killing and/or murder, much to the horror of whoever he's talking to.

** Delia as well, who is Lydia's incompetent life coach who is also sleeping with Lydia's father.
** Juno, who appears as an antagonist instead of helpful character.

* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Lydia and Mr. Deetz have the whole cast pull this on Betelgeuse, by actually letting him marry Lydia to live again...only to kill him within a minute so they can send him to the Netherworld and be rid of him.
* CuttingTheKnot: After the Maitlands refuse to open the handbook again, BJ comes up with a way to do it despite not being recently deceased himself: kill a bird and have Lydia pry the book open with it's recently deceased beak.

** Denial/Bargaining: Denies the book and Netherealm are dangerous because she thinks she can use them to get her mother back. She's wrong, it's just a trick by BJ.
** Acceptance: After coming to terms with her father in the Netherealm, Lydia is able to pull herself together enough to out-con Betelgeuse and save everyone, becoming much happier in the process.

* MinionWithAnFInEvil: The Maitlands, making BJ give up on getting them to be scary and move onto manipulating Lydia directly. The creepiest they manage is the Day-O haunting, and even that goes wrong.

* TeensAreMonsters: Lydia when Betelgeuse initially takes over the house. She spends three days just helping him prank people by scaring the crap out of them and making them think they're going to die, and is unfazed by the Maitlands' scolding on the matter.