Broadway’s Beetlejuice star Alex Brightman, who suffered a concussion in an onstage Christmas Eve mishap, will make an unexpected return to the musical tonight for its final performances this weekend. He’ll take the stage for the musical’s Friday, Saturday and Sunday performances, playing the show’s final performance Sunday.
“After two weeks of extreme rest, recovery, and reassessment I will be returning to the show tonight!,” Brightman says in a statement on Instagram. “Safety is my number one concern. We did the proper steps to get me to this evening. Building back stamina, double (and triple) checking light & sound sensitivity, and finally having a 4.5 hour rehearsal yesterday to truly see what was possible. All things, so far, have been a success (sucks-yes) and I will continue to take it day to day, performance by performance.”
Brightman had revealed his concussion diagnosis in an Instagram post on Dec. 27. At that time, he said he’d be out of the show until getting an “all clear” from doctors, leading to some speculation that he wouldn’t be back in the title role before the show closes this Sunday.
Details of what production spokespersons have called a mishap have not been disclosed. Brightman performs various physically exacting moves with large stage props during the musical.
Beetlejuice‘s weekend performance schedule is tonight and Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 7:30 p.m.
The actor has been with the popular musical since it opened at the Winter Garden Theatre on Thursday, April 25, 2019, returning for its post-pandemic-shutdown run last April at the Marquis Theatre. His previous Broadway include School of Rock, Matilda, Big Fish, Wicked, and Glory Days. He was Tony-nominated for both Beetlejuice and School of Rock.
Beetlejuice is one of four Broadway shows closing this weekend in the usual post-holiday thinning. In addition to the musical based on the 1988 film, other shows playing final performances on Sunday, Jan. 8 are 1776, Almost Famous and Into The Woods.