Australian comedian and composer Eddie Perfect has written the score for the stage version of Beetlejuice, which is about to premiere in New York.<\/p>\n
The Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA), said in a statement that the cancellation was “deeply disappointing and devastating for the cast, crew and musicians who were booked for show over the coming months”.<\/p>\n
“At a time when the live performance sector is already under pressure, this decision highlights the precarious nature of creative work and the gap between the ambitions set out in Australia’s current National Cultural Policy and the lived reality for those working in the industry,” the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
“Abrupt cancellations like this highlight the need for stronger protections, greater accountability, and better government support to ensure cultural work is valued and workers are not left exposed.”<\/p>\n
The MEAA spokesperson said the union will be actively pursuing all entitlements owed to affected members.<\/p>\n
‘Tracking strongly’ in Adelaide<\/p>\n
The show had been booked to tour to Sydney, Adelaide and Perth.<\/p>\n
A spokeswoman for the Adelaide Festival Centre said ticket sales for the Adelaide season had been “tracking very strongly”.<\/p>\n
“This is simply the unfortunate circumstance of an entire national tour of Beetlejuice being cancelled,” she said.<\/p>\n
“The decision relates to the commercial viability of the national tour as a whole.”<\/p>\n
![\"On](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/cade9cc6aeb8509798a15d7c3c15ed12.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
Performers in Beetlejuice have been told their season will end early. (Supplied: Michael Cassel Group\/Michelle Grace Hunder)<\/p>\n
Beetlejuice the Musical is based on the 1988 movie starring Michael Keaton.<\/p>\n
The show, which opened on Broadway in March 2019, has had mixed fortunes.<\/p>\n
Written by Australian Eddie Perfect, Scott Brown and Anthony King, early reviews panned the show and ticket sales for the first few months in New York were disappointing.<\/p>\n
Despite the lacklustre response Beetlejuice was nominated for eight Tony Awards in 2019 and Perfect tailored a performance at the awards ceremony to include jokes about the Tonys and actors who were in the audience.<\/p>\n
When the performance was uploaded online it found millions of new fans.<\/p>\n
Within a few months ticket sales had soared and turned the show’s fortunes around. It became something of a cult hit, with audience members sporting costumes to look like the cast.<\/p>\n
And while the musical is currently playing in London’s West End, a planned Singapore run was cancelled in December, a month before it was due to begin.<\/p>\n