Beetlejuice…Beetlejuice…Beet…oh…well, that was close. The 2025 South Tama High School Musical is Beetlejuice Jr. A tune or two for the recently deceased will be sung at the Wieting Theater, from April 3-5.

This is the first STC production for new staff member John Loos. Taking off his Choir Director hat, Mr. Loos is putting on his Musical Director hat for the spring show with Ellen Moran as head director and Tyler Fulks as costume designer.

“Thankfully, I have the privilege of working with Ellen and Tyler, who have a wealth of experience, and who have helped me learn the ropes,” Loos said about the team effort behind this year’s musical.

“When thinking about options for our musical this year, Beetlejuice Jr. entered the running early, and quickly became the frontrunner. This show is high energy, creative, and a lot of fun to both perform and watch. We encountered no obstacles in getting the rights to perform it, and we were able to come to an easy decision,” Loos said about picking this year’s play. The vibrancy and excitement that comes along with this musical were also an important factor in choosing Beetlejuice Jr.

“We thought that this show would bring a new energy to the theatre department, generating excitement and bringing many students, experienced and beginners, to the world of musical theatre,” he said.

Having not seen the original 80’s Tim Burton classic until he was looking into the play, Loos enjoyed the film.

“The musical adaptation is, however, different in several aspects from the movie, taking many ideas and characters and further building upon them. This creates a fresh and exciting, though still familiar, story,” he said.

Thirty-five students have been working with a passion for months to put this show together — 26 actors, and nine crew members have been rehearsing since February to bring Beetlejuice Jr. to the living.

Mr. Loos talked about all that he is looking forward to with this play.

“I am excited to share our students’ hard work with the community, and to have the opportunity to see the process from start to finish for the first time. I have also had the chance to meet and work with students not involved with the choir program, which has been a blast getting to know more of the talented and hard working kids at STC,” he said.

With this being his first job directing at STC, Loos has learned through trial and error, ever-improving in small steps and giant leaps with the help of Moran.

“The brunt of the work for this production has been taken on by Ellen, and I just want to make sure to shout her out. We wouldn’t be able to do what we do without her,” Loos said.

Mr. Loos also wished to thank the community for all of their support and encourage them to check out the production. So, if you have a love for musicals or an infatuation for the ghost with the most, you know what to do.

The South Tama County production of Beetlejuice Jr will be performed at the Wieting Theater, April 3-5, with performances at 7 p.m. on the 3rd and 4th, and at 2 p.m. on the 5th. Get your tickets. Get your seats, and get ready to watch the pinstriped bio-exorcist wreak havoc on the Deetz household.

Or…just say his name three times…up to you.