There’s nothing quite like the crackle of a rehearsal room when a brand-new production is about to spring to life—especially when the space is suddenly swarming with sandworms, striped suits and that unmistakable waft of green hair-dye. This week the Michael Cassel Group flung open the studio doors in North Melbourne and invited photographers (and one very lucky film crew) to capture an exclusive glimpse of rehearsals for BEETLEJUICE THE MUSICAL ahead of its Australian premiere at the Regent Theatre later this month.
The resulting gallery is a riot of manic grins, fog machines and neon highlights. Thick rehearsal blacks explode into electric greens whenever the company hits a choreographic flourish, and the candid snaps reveal an ensemble already relishing director Alex Timbers’ playful mayhem. A three-minute rehearsal-room video dropped online at the same time, giving fans a high-energy montage of vocal runs, prop tests and the odd backstage prank. Within hours, the clip was haunting newsfeeds across Aussie theatre circles.
Leading the charge is Eddie Perfect, returning triumphant to his own Tony-nominated score in the title role. Judging by both the stills and the video, Perfect is leaning gleefully into Beetlejuice’s unruly charisma, chewing every square inch of rehearsal-room scenery—and loving it.
Opposite him, rising star Karis Oka slips into Lydia Deetz’s black lace with poise well beyond her years. They’re joined by music-theatre favourites Elise McCann and Rob Johnson as the newly deceased Barbara and Adam, while Erin Clare and Tom Wren channel the stress-yoga chic of Delia and Charles. Add a ghoulish gallery of scene-stealing support, Noni McCallum, Angelique Cassimatis, Andy Conaghan and a crack ensemble of twelve triple-threats—and the Netherworld suddenly feels very much alive Down Under.
Beyond the thrill of being “first in”, the images offer genuine insight into how Timbers and choreographer Connor Gallagher are reshaping the Broadway hit for Australian audiences. Scenic designer David Korins is trialling clever modular flats that glide smoothly across the Regent’s cavernous stage, allowing lightning-quick shifts between the Deetz living room, the after-life’s waiting room and the mind-bending “Neitherworld”.
Lighting legend Kenneth Posner was spotted wielding a portable UV rig, experimenting with flashes that make every black-and-white stripe pop radioactive green against the studio’s beige walls. Watching raw creativity spark under harsh fluorescents is a reminder that blockbuster spectacle is painstakingly assembled piece by tiny piece, long before a single theatregoer finds their seat.
If the photo set whets your appetite, the rehearsal-room video is essential viewing. Perfect, Oka, McCann and Johnson tear through “Say My Name” with full-tilt vocals and slap-stick staging—no wigs, no dry ice, just raw talent and a rehearsal keyboard. Even in track pants, the number lands its knockout punch: a whirl of deadpan comedy, rapid-fire rhymes and trick props that hint at the magic still to come once costumes and tech wizardry arrive.
Look closely and you’ll spot the infamous head-spin illusion being fine-tuned in the background, as well as choreographers counting under their breath while sandworm puppets sneak into frame for a cheeky photobomb. It’s unvarnished, unfiltered theatre alchemy—and fans are eating it up.
Victorians eager for a trip to the Netherworld should mark their diaries: BEETLEJUICE THE MUSICAL begins previews on 7 May, with opening night set for 18 May before settling into an extended winter run. This is currently an exclusive engagement; no touring plans have been announced, so Melburnians might be the only Australians to see Beetlejuice’s black-and-white stripes in the flesh this year.
Rehearsal rooms are rarely glamorous. They smell of stale coffee, sweat and gaffer tape. Yet every cackle captured in these photographs, every precisely counted dance step in the video, feels like a love-letter to theatrical possibility. If this sneak peek is anything to go by, Melbourne is in for a BEETLEJUICE that’s bolder, greener and more gloriously irreverent than ever. In the demon’s own words: it’s showtime, don’t say we didn’t warn you.
Photo Credit: Aaron Francis
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I mean, it is touring... it's off to Abu Dhabi with the Australian cast so...that's a bit shit.
Also, &Juliet did this as well where it was an "Only in Melbourne" only for it to very well be a touring production, they just wanted to announce the tour when the leads were in NYC so take this with a massive grain of salt.