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Los Angeles Times

Marina Youth Theatre readies for first bowl performance, ‘Beetlejuice Jr.'

Kathy Busby shuffled through her phone, looking for a video she wanted to share. The Marina Youth Theatre director found it and smiled. It showed a rotating advertisement on the big screen at Bella Terra outdoor mall, announcing the company's upcoming musical production of 'Beetlejuice Jr.' for all to see. The production team and all 50 child cast members believe this is a show worthy of such a prominent display. 'We've got our feet firmly planted, and we're a draw,' said Busby, who will co-direct the show with Diane Christensen. 'There are several kids in the cast who are here because they came and saw a show, and they wanted to be a part of this. We really emphasize working as a team and a unit. Sometimes in theater, it's very competitive with each other. We want every single person, someone who's holding the salad bowl and the person who has half the show memorized because they have so many lines, to feel equally important. I feel like they do and they really pull together, while still bringing quality to it.' As Marina Youth Theatre turns three years old this summer, there is a sense of excitement within the program. Three shows are performed per year, but it's the summer show that really draws in performers of different ages and locations. Madisson Harkey, who plays leading female protagonist Lydia Deetz in 'Beetlejuice Jr.,' is an incoming junior at Pacifica High in in Garden Grove. During the school year, she's on a competition dance team, but the program also gives her a chance to show off some of her acting chops. 'As the program grows, it feels like a family,' Harkey said. 'I feel like I don't get that anywhere else. I've done plenty of other musical groups, but this one, at the end of every show, it's super sad that it's ending. They focus a lot on teaching things that people maybe haven't learned so much of, teaching people who are newer at musical theater while also conditioning people who have experience in musical theater.' This particular staging of 'Beetlejuice Jr.,' which runs from Wednesday through Sunday, Aug. 10 at 8 p.m., plus an additional show at 5 p.m. Aug. 11, will be performed at the outdoor bowl in the center of the Marina campus for the first time. The venue has been renovated as part of a general refurbishing at Marina, said Busby, an activities secretary on campus. The stage has been built out, with bleacher seats being upgraded from wooden to aluminum. Lighting and sound for the show are being provided by Pacific Coast Entertainment, a local business. Marina Youth Theatre wants to encourage Hollywood Bowl vibes, as audience members can bring their own dinner to the show or choose from food options available on site. 'I think doing a show in the bowl is something that really pushes our program to the next level,' said recent Marina High graduate Carmela Miars, who plays Beetlejuice's mother, Juno, in the show. Miars is headed to Vanguard University, where she will major in musical theater. She said performing on an outdoor stage will be a good experience for the entire cast. She looked across the concrete Monday evening, where the father of head costumer Jamie Huntington stood on a ladder painting the set. Huntington is an English teacher at Marina who has also started a theater class. 'We've had a lot of amazing parent volunteers and also just people who want to help out,' Miars said. 'They might not be parents, they might be uncles and aunts of students in our program. They've come and built out the stage to make it secure and safe for our students.' Miars also spent four years in the prestigious Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts during her time in high school, and she sees Marina Youth Theatre as being a good alternative. Busby agreed. 'They're interested in theater, but aren't necessarily going for it like the kids at Huntington [Beach High] who do APA and are hoping to go on to New York,' she said. 'Not everyone here at Marina has the resources — the funds, or a ride to get there in the afternoon. They want to also participate in sports at school, and our program allows that. We have football players, volleyball players, soccer players. These kids, they just want to have their opportunity to do theater, and we try to provide the quality that they would get anywhere else right here.' As for the show itself, cast members say its funny and has several memorable songs, both ensemble and otherwise. Melkie Sherman, a recent graduate from Orange Lutheran High, shares the lead role of Beetlejuice with Peyton Simon. Sherman said he's enjoying throwing himself into a comedic role, different from the drama roles he's played in the past. 'If you want a good laugh, this is definitely the place to be,' Sherman said. 'It's light-hearted, a lot of knee-slapping comedy. There's also that sense of comfort and home with Lydia trying to find her place in the world without her mom. It kind of encompasses all of the aspects — comedy, love — that you'd want in a show.' Brandon Atchison, an incoming senior defensive end on the football team, got into acting through his girlfriend but now is a regular in the Marina Youth Theatre cast. His roles in 'Beetlejuice Jr.' include a dead football player in the number 'What I Know.' 'A lot of my teammates were like 'What are you doing?' when I started doing theater, but I've made a name for myself on the field,' Atchison said. 'I've kind of earned the respect of being able to do both, without being made fun of too much.' April Molina and Abbie Bardens, a 2024 Marina graduate, are the vocal directors for the show. Karie Seasock, who has a long professional career including time as a singer for the Radio City Rockettes, is the choreographer. Seasock said the movie sequel 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,' released last year, has helped put Beetlejuice in the zeitgeist for a younger generation who weren't familiar with the original movie, released in 1988. 'I think this show was the introduction for some of these kids, then they went home and watched the movie,' she said. 'Now, they're connecting it with music. They can tell the story and see the story two different ways. The movie obviously has 'Day-o' and some fun songs in it, but it's not a musical.' Tickets to 'Beetlejuice Jr.' range from $17.25 for children's tickets to $33 for VIP, and are available on the Marina Youth Theatre website.