Musicals at Richter (MAR), now in its 41st season as the longest-running outdoor theater in Connecticut, concludes its 2025 offerings with “Beetlejuice JR.,” performed by students from its Summer Youth Musical Theater Workshop. Presented on the outdoor stage of the Richter Arts Center in Danbury, performances take place under the stars at 8:00 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening, August 14-16.
The ghost-with-the-most comes to the stage in “Beetlejuice Jr.,” the frightfully funny musical based on the beloved motion picture turned Broadway phenomenon. Lydia Deetz is a strange and unusual teenager, still grieving the loss of her mother and obsessed with the whole “being dead thing.” Lucky for Lydia, she and her father move to a new house haunted by a recently deceased couple and Beetlejuice, a delightful demon with a real 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.
With music and lyrics by Tony Award-nominee Eddie Perfect and a book by Tony Award-nominated pair Anthony King and Scott Brown, “Beetlejuice” was nominated for eight 2019 Tony Awards including Best New Musical. A viral "sucks-yes" on social media, this musical struck a chord with young theatre lovers who adored its unabashed humor and emotional honesty. It’s a wacky theatrical party for all!
Directed by Ciara Cuneo (Patterson, NY) with music direction by Max Abarientos (New Fairfield) and choreography by April Smith (New Fairfield), Musicals at Richter’s production of “Beetlejuice Jr.” spotlights a talented cast of young area performers.
Featured in the cast are Tori Mostacciuolo (Bethel) as Lydia Deetz; Mia Roche (Bethel) as Beetlejuice; Jake Zanotti (Danbury) as Lydia’s father Charles; Brendan Famularo (Bethel) and Kayla Spagna (New Fairfield) as Adam and Barbara Maitland, the recently deceased previous residents of the house; and Hailey Mott (Bethel) plays Charles’s new girlfriend Delia.
Aurora Saxagne (Bethel) portrays Delia’s guru Otho and Lana Gibson (New Fairfield) plays a visiting Girl Scout. Charles’s potential business partner Maxie Dean is played by Arthur Sawyer-Bacigalupo (New Fairfield) and his wife Maxine is portrayed by Noelle Neville (Bethel). Chloe Rysz (Bethel) takes on the role of Miss Argentina, a deceased beauty queen, and Zoe Talley (Danbury) plays Juno, Beetlejuice’s mother who runs the recently dead intake in the Netherworld with an iron fist.
Also featured in the cast in a variety of roles are Maddie Balanda, Livy Caulford, Logan Katkocin, Charlotte Neville and Julie Nilson (Bethel); Emma Hoffman and Addy Pasko (Brookfield); Catalina Alves, Claire Hayes, Kiersten Gillespie, Moira McKinney, Dylan Quintero, Vivian Quintero, Catherine Solano, Maggie Stoneburner and Andrew Williams (Danbury); Addi Karow (New Fairfield); Sky Browne (Patterson, NY); and Daniela Coto-Perez, Dylan Lannon and Charlotte Mayette (Ridgefield).
Molly Tarnowski (New Fairfield) serves as Workshop Coordinator and Sedona Taylor (New Fairfield is production stage manager.
“Beetlejuice Jr.” is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI).
“Beetlejuice Jr.” is performed August 14-16 on the outdoor stage at the Richter Arts Center (next to the Richter Park Golf Course, I-84, Exit 2), 100 Aunt Hack Road, in Danbury. Tickets for this summer youth performance cost $15 for adults, $10 for seniors/students (with I.D.) and $5 for children 10 and under, and may be purchased through the Musicals at Richter website (www.musicalsatrichter.org) or at the door. Grounds open at 7 p.m. for picnicking, with curtain at 8:00 p.m. Audience members are invited to bring their own blankets or chairs for lawn seating; a limited number of chairs are available free-of-charge. A soft drink/snack concession is on-site.
Now in its 41st season at Richter Park, Musicals at Richter is Connecticut’s longest-running outdoor theater. Performances take place at the Richter Arts Center (next to the Richter Park Golf Course), 100 Aunt Hack Road, in Danbury. Nestled in the hills of Western Connecticut, the Arts Center stage has served as the scenic backdrop for over 100 musicals and workshop performances produced by Musicals at Richter, as well as a professional springboard for hundreds of up-and-coming performers. Musicals at Richter is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization. For further information, visit the website at www.musicalsatrichter.org, leave a message at 203-748-6873 or e-mail info@musicalsatrichter.org.
