Make ‘Beetlejuice’ Broadway’s Halloween Tradition
'Beetlejuice' - Pictured (L-R): Will Burton (Adam), Megan McGinnis (Barbara), Isabella Esler (Lydia) and Justin Collette(Beetlejuice) Photo by Matthew Murphy
by Chris Peterson
Broadway has its share of ghosts. Some live in the walls. Some linger in the wings. And a few drift through theatre boxes. But no ghost has ever worked the boards quite like Beetlejuice. He’s big, brash, vulgar, sentimental, chaotic, and utterly unapologetic. And now that he’s coming back to Broadway (just in time for spooky season), I think it’s time we stopped pretending this is just another revival. Beetlejuice should be a Halloween tradition. The kind that returns every October. The kind people plan their fall around. The kind that sits proudly beside A Christmas Carol and Elf, but with more smoke machines and dead jokes.
Because let’s be honest: Broadway has never really had a Halloween show. Sure, we have shows that get costume nods every year. There’s always someone going as Elphaba or trying to make a sexy Phantom costume work. But there’s no production that truly claims October the way other holidays get their theatrical staples. Until now.
The timing is perfect. Beetlejuice is reopening October 8, 2025, and will run through January 3, 2026 at the newly reopened Palace Theatre. That’s thirteen weeks of mischief, mayhem, and morbid joy. It’s a run that begins in autumn and exits just after the holiday lights come down. A full season of hauntings, just when Broadway could use something fresh.
And this isn’t just marketing spin. Audiences already decided this was their October tradition. During the 2022–2023 Broadway run, Halloween wasn’t just a moment, it was the whole month. Themed Playbills, costume contests, spooky cocktails, flash tattoo pop-ups in the lobby — this show knew what season it was playing in, and audiences responded. Fans came in costume. They came in groups. They came again and again. Like trick-or-treaters at a favorite house, they knew where the good stuff was.
Which brings me to a bigger point: Broadway rarely leans into seasonal runs. We get the Rockettes at Radio City and the occasional staging of A Christmas Carol, but the main stem tends to treat holidays like a scheduling conflict instead of an opportunity. Maybe it's because most holiday shows are labeled as kitschy. Maybe it's because theaters are always juggling the awards calendar. But what if a seasonal run wasn’t filler? What if it was the feature?
That’s what Beetlejuice gets right. It’s self-aware but never smug. It’s dark but never mean. It’s funny but still sincere. It’s a monster mash with a broken heart underneath. This is a show where the dead walk, the living grieve, the demon tap dances, and somehow, by the end, it all feels human. No other musical gives you a conga line of corpses and also makes you cry a little. And no other musical can ride the fine line between pop culture chaos and emotional storytelling quite like this.
Also, let’s not ignore the numbers. The last time Beetlejuice haunted Broadway, it was regularly pulling in over a million dollars a week. The fans are there. The buzz is real. TikTok can’t get enough of it. The cast album is streamed like it’s gospel for the alt-theatre kids. And every year, without fail, the internet floods with Beetlejuice Halloween content. Why not give the people what they already want?
So no, this isn’t just a third run. It’s a chance to create something Broadway almost never gets: a built-in tradition. One that doesn’t rely on nostalgia or sentimentality, but on style, joy, and a whole lot of eyeliner. Make October Beetlejuice month. Let him move in every fall. Let the Palace become his haunted home. Let fans return year after year, bringing new friends with them.
The show is back. The demand is there. The season is his. All we have to do is keep inviting him.