Theatre Factory prepares to stage 'Beetlejuice Jr.'

Tyler Shaffer doesn’t know how many times he watched the 1988 Tim Burton gothic comedy, “Beetlejuice.” But it was a lot.

“Watching it has been a Halloween tradition for my family forever,” said Shaffer, 16, of Jeannette, who will play the titular villain in the Theatre Factory’s production of “Beetlejuice Jr.,” a shortened version of the Broadway musical. “I immediately fell in love with it and a bunch of other Tim Burton films, which kind of formed the person I am today.”

But for co-director Emily Kane, 28, of Oakmont, simply imitating Michael Keaton’s unhinged take on the character wouldn’t do.

“We were very vocal about that, even in the audition process, that we don’t just want a copy-and-paste of movie Beetlejuice. We want our own production,” she said. “And it’s hard to step away from that source material, because so many of us love it so much.”

The musical differs a bit from the film in its focus on Lydia Dietz, who inspired an entire generation of goth fashion based on Winona Ryder’s portrayal of the character.

“They’ve written songs to develop all the characters a little more, and there’s a definite theme of death throughout the show,” said co-director Laura Wurzell. “Because it’s from Lydia’s point of view, it’s a little more about a 15-year-old dealing with the loss of her mother, and with her father dealing with it in a very different way that affects their relationship.”

In the musical’s story, Lydia goes on a sort of mission to find her mother, one that even finds her considering whether suicide is the best path.

Those heavier themes are a big part of the reason that the cast skews older, mostly middle- and high-school actors, Wurzell said.

“Lydia sings a song called ‘Dead Mom,’ and it’s quite an emotional song,” she said. “I’m also a recently retired elementary school counselor, so these are themes I’m a little more used to. We talked through these types of things with all of the cast members, because they all have varying experiences with death and loss.”

Kane said their biggest challenge is the movie’s — and musical’s — popularity.

“It’s harder to help the actors step away from what’s already existing,” she said.

Clara Newell, 13, of New Kensington, will play the role of Lydia Dietz. It will be her first lead role.

“To get ‘in the zone’ for Lydia, I really just tried to think of what it would be like to lose your mom, and for your dad to just kind of blow past it,” she said. “I’m very close to my parents, so even imagining something like that really broke my heart.”

Newell said she appreciates the help she’s gotten from the cast and crew.

“My favorite thing to do is improve myself as we go along,” she said. “So it was really great to get tips and tricks from Laura and cast members as we went through rehearsals.”

“Beetlejuice Jr.” is part of the Theatre Factory’s KidsWorks season, which will also include productions of “Charlotte’s Web” in January and “The Fabulous Fable Factory” in May. The theater is celebrating its 30th anniversary this season.

“Beetlejuice Jr.” will open Oct. 18 at 2 p.m. Additional 2 p.m. matinees will be held Oct. 19, 25 and 26. A 7 p.m. show will take place Oct. 24. Tickets are $12, and are available TheTheatreFactory.org or at the door.

The theater is at 235 Cavitt Ave. in Trafford.