Say his name and he appears

The ghost with the most has been summoned to McMinnville's historic Park Theater for three shows this week.

The Park Theatre Group, in conjunction with Dream Reality Group, will present "Beetlejuice Jr." Friday, March 27 and Saturday, March 28 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, March 29 at 2 p.m. The musical is based on the 1988 movie starring Michael Keaton as a "bio-exorcist" who is enlisted by a recently deceased couple to scare off their former house's new occupants. The "Jr." designation means a slightly scaled-down version of the show to better appeal to both younger audiences and cast members but show director Logan Taylor and his crew have been hard at work to assure the full spectacle of the show remains intact.

Taylor, a McMinnville native, is taking a brief break from TV and movie production to return home to help bring the show to the Park Theater stage as a collaboration between the Park Theatre Group and his own Dream Reality Group. The Park Theatre Group, first chartered in 2002 in an effort to restore the Park Theater and which was instrumental in the facility's reopening in 2015, is not directly affiliated with the city-owned theater, but continues to produce shows and encourage the theatrical-minded youth of Warren and surrounding counties to get involved.

Joining Taylor in leading the show are music director Allie Morton and choreographer Jasmine Dillon. A cast of actors ranging in age from 8-18 will bring the story of the dead to life. The cast includes Charles Langford as Priest, Mover 1 and Cigar Mobster; Walker Beaty as Charles Deetz; Raylee Vinson as Lydia Deetz; Jacori Scales as the title character; Noah Kelley as Adam Maitland; Jordan Cook as Barbara Maitland; Kaydence Walling as Mover 2 and Juno; Violette Hardin as Delia Schlimmer and Miss Argentina; Aaden Long as Maxie Dean, Clone 1 and Hunter with a Shrunken Head; Kenzie Bruce as Maxine Dean and lead ensemble; Edie MacDonald as Sky; Uma Stefanick as Clone 2 and lead ensemble; Aidyn Harris as Otho and Machete Groom; Emma Coppinger as Parachute Jumper; Madelyn Ford as Death by Toaster and ensemble; Olivia Stefanick as Dead Cheerleader and lead ensemble; Everett Roskowitz as Dead Jockey and ensemble; and Finley Killian as Death by Fireworks and ensemble.

Rounding out the ensemble are Josee Lopez, Emory MacDonald, Amberley Soto, Ella Curtis, Caroline Tanner, Madison Allen, Linden Todd, Evie Partin, Tennessee Alford, Iva Newman, Nora Harris, Kathryn Carr, Elizabeth Carr, Addy Reaves, Kaylani Scales and Haddie Adcock.

For Taylor, the show has been a homecoming which he has thoroughly embraced.

"I have absolutely loved being back working with DRG and PTG," Taylor said. "It’s been amazing bringing my crew back together, actors I haven’t seen in a while and lots of new talented performers. I definitely feel such a sense of pride and joy being back in the theater that started it all for me years ago." 

The process of bringing the show to the stage has been an arduous one, requiring approximately 200 hours of rehearsal during the three-month process as well as another roughly 200 hours of tech/production design work. The cast and crew are eager for audiences to witness the fruit of their labors as the show premieres Friday, at 7 p.m.

"I’m really excited for the audience to see the musical numbers, the special effects and all the iconic homages to the original motion picture everyone adores," Taylor said. "I’m so, so proud of these performers. They have been pushed to the max, have persevered and worked so hard to create something spectacular." 

Taylor finds spreading his love of the stage to aspiring youth particularly enjoyable and hopes the community will reward the group's efforts with a strong turnout and enthusiastic crowds for the three-show run of the approximately one-hour musical.

"I love working with young performers, because not only is it an incredible outlet, but the performers and our staff work together to grow their talents, confidence and, frankly, prepare them for a real-world career in show business. This has been the sweetest and most awesome group of kids, and I can’t wait for this community to see this spectacle come to life."

Tickets are $18 plus tax and are available at mcminnvilleparktheater.com, the Park box office and at the door before the shows.

Editor's note: Observant readers will notice the name of this show has been mentioned twice so far in the headline and story. So ... here's the third "Beetlejuice." That means, "IT'S SHOWTIME!"