Double 'triple threats': Jesse and Lexie Sharp in Beetlejuice
Everybody's in LA: Jesse and Lexie Sharp
Interview by Paul Oswell
The touring Broadway stage version of the much-loved movie Beetlejuice comes through New Orleans this month. We caught up with cast members and married couple, Jesse and Lexie Sharp to talk touring together, their favourite show moments and renewing their vows in NOLA...
Out All Day: Hi Jesse and Lexie, thank you so much for talking to us and welcome to New Orleans. How far along the tour are you and how is it going so far?
Jesse and Lexie Sharpe: We’ve been traveling with Beetlejuice since the tour started two years ago! We just started the third year out here and we love it. We feel so fortunate to be a part of a show that has such enthusiastic fans and is sold out nearly everywhere we go.
My sources tell me that you renewed your vows here this summer. First of all, many congratulations, and secondly, could you tell us a little about the occasion and why you chose New Orleans for this special day?
We both love New Orleans. It’s such a special city. It’s a city of fun, resilience, and it really embodies the idea of living life to the fullest. We wanted to renew our vows somewhere that was fun and full of life and not stuffy. Something that felt like it represented the 10 years we’ve been married. New Orleans was an easy pick!
I (Lexie) lived in the quarter the summer before my senior year of college and worked at The Palace Cafe on Canal Street. I grew up coming to New Orleans on family vacations. I am originally from Birmingham, Alabama. Several of my friends in college were from here, and I will find any and every excuse to come here and visit. This is our third time here this year! Jesse visited first as a teenager in the 90s, and returned to volunteer with hurricane relief years later, and he has enjoyed every visit since.
For our 10 year vow renewal, we spent the morning with New Orleans’ photographer, Jillian Marie Photography, taking pictures all over the French quarter. Then we renewed our vows in a sweet little ceremony with just the two of us at The French Quarter Wedding Chapel on Burgundy Street. An amazing lady named Luanne ran the ceremony. She was fantastic. The Chapel was a wonderfully quirky place with dollar bills taped to the ceilings, and we cried as we read our vows under the dozens of mix matched chandeliers.
I assume that many times, your work as actors can keep you apart, being on set or in different productions, etc, so it must be great to spend time touring the same show together - are there any challenges for a couple touring together, though?
I think any negatives are far outweighed by the positives. So many of our friends are in relationships and marriages where both partners are actors on different contracts. We’ve been there too...working different contracts at the same time. For now, we are simply soaking in that we get to tour on this massive hit show together. How lucky. It’s been a complete blast. We mostly drive the tour with our 10 lbs chihuahua/dachshund mix, Chip, so the tour is truly a full family affair for us!
I think we're still evaluating the impact of the sequel movie as Beetlejuice II is still playing in cinemas, but the original is such a beloved cult classic. Were you both fans of the movie and do you feel the weight of fan expectations when you become part of the stage show?
We were absolutely fans of the original movie and even bigger fans of the musical when it opened on Broadway in 2018. We went several times on Broadway before we were involved in the touring production. In terms of fan expectations, it only adds to the audience experience to know the movie and our show offers a similar plot and several awesome easter eggs!
I feel like one of the reasons that people love Beetlejuice so much - beyond the characters/performances and the iconic costumes (instant Halloween classics!) - is the world building. Even though it's cartoonish, there's this fully-formed, hidden society with its own hierarchies and rules and subcultures, and there's an excitement to discover it through the story, would you say that's a fair assessment?
Totally fair. The world of the Beetlejuice movie combines incredibly original design mixed with classic horror motifs and our show only adds to that tradition. Our designers are working with top of the line modern stagecraft and illusions to give the audience an incredible 21st century Broadway experience.
Are there specific challenges to stage adaptations of when the movie characters are so ingrained in popular culture, would you say?
I’m sure it’s a bit of a challenge for musical theatre writers initially but when you have such a fantastic and well known story at the core there is a lot of room for growth. Our show uses the stellar plot and characters of the original film and goes in some wonderful surprising directions that will delight older movie fans and younger audiences who are less familiar with the movie as well.
Which parts of the show/story are audiences particularly responding to as the tour progresses?
One of the most fun parts of touring is seeing which jokes resonate more or less depending on the audience and where we are in the country or even the world! We played Mexico for a month this summer. Basically, everyone loves different jokes and parts of the show. Undoubtedly, the dinner party scene that pays homage to the movie is a definite audience favorite no matter where we are!
Will you get much time to enjoy being in New Orleans? Can you name a few of your favorite restaurants/bars/activities in the city?
We came into town a few days early to spend as much time in NOLA as possible. We went to the Saints game at the superdome. What a freaking blast! We will definitely be going to Fritzels for jazz. I can’t wait to eat my weight in fried catfish and Jesse loves red beans and rice. I won’t be surprised if he has it for every meal. Even though it’s touristy we will definitely go to Lafittes. Jesse’s favorite is the sazerac bar in the Roosevelt hotel. Camellia grill is definitely a favorite and we will be chowing down on waffles there! We will also try to squeeze in a brunch at Commander's Palace.
You can find more details and ticketing information at The Saenger Theatre website, here.
Interview by Paul Oswell
The touring Broadway stage version of the much-loved movie Beetlejuice comes through New Orleans this month. We caught up with cast members and married couple, Jesse and Lexie Sharp to talk touring together, their favourite show moments and renewing their vows in NOLA...
Out All Day: Hi Jesse and Lexie, thank you so much for talking to us and welcome to New Orleans. How far along the tour are you and how is it going so far?
Jesse and Lexie Sharpe: We’ve been traveling with Beetlejuice since the tour started two years ago! We just started the third year out here and we love it. We feel so fortunate to be a part of a show that has such enthusiastic fans and is sold out nearly everywhere we go.
My sources tell me that you renewed your vows here this summer. First of all, many congratulations, and secondly, could you tell us a little about the occasion and why you chose New Orleans for this special day?
We both love New Orleans. It’s such a special city. It’s a city of fun, resilience, and it really embodies the idea of living life to the fullest. We wanted to renew our vows somewhere that was fun and full of life and not stuffy. Something that felt like it represented the 10 years we’ve been married. New Orleans was an easy pick!
I (Lexie) lived in the quarter the summer before my senior year of college and worked at The Palace Cafe on Canal Street. I grew up coming to New Orleans on family vacations. I am originally from Birmingham, Alabama. Several of my friends in college were from here, and I will find any and every excuse to come here and visit. This is our third time here this year! Jesse visited first as a teenager in the 90s, and returned to volunteer with hurricane relief years later, and he has enjoyed every visit since.
For our 10 year vow renewal, we spent the morning with New Orleans’ photographer, Jillian Marie Photography, taking pictures all over the French quarter. Then we renewed our vows in a sweet little ceremony with just the two of us at The French Quarter Wedding Chapel on Burgundy Street. An amazing lady named Luanne ran the ceremony. She was fantastic. The Chapel was a wonderfully quirky place with dollar bills taped to the ceilings, and we cried as we read our vows under the dozens of mix matched chandeliers.
I assume that many times, your work as actors can keep you apart, being on set or in different productions, etc, so it must be great to spend time touring the same show together - are there any challenges for a couple touring together, though?
I think any negatives are far outweighed by the positives. So many of our friends are in relationships and marriages where both partners are actors on different contracts. We’ve been there too...working different contracts at the same time. For now, we are simply soaking in that we get to tour on this massive hit show together. How lucky. It’s been a complete blast. We mostly drive the tour with our 10 lbs chihuahua/dachshund mix, Chip, so the tour is truly a full family affair for us!
I think we're still evaluating the impact of the sequel movie as Beetlejuice II is still playing in cinemas, but the original is such a beloved cult classic. Were you both fans of the movie and do you feel the weight of fan expectations when you become part of the stage show?
We were absolutely fans of the original movie and even bigger fans of the musical when it opened on Broadway in 2018. We went several times on Broadway before we were involved in the touring production. In terms of fan expectations, it only adds to the audience experience to know the movie and our show offers a similar plot and several awesome easter eggs!
I feel like one of the reasons that people love Beetlejuice so much - beyond the characters/performances and the iconic costumes (instant Halloween classics!) - is the world building. Even though it's cartoonish, there's this fully-formed, hidden society with its own hierarchies and rules and subcultures, and there's an excitement to discover it through the story, would you say that's a fair assessment?
Totally fair. The world of the Beetlejuice movie combines incredibly original design mixed with classic horror motifs and our show only adds to that tradition. Our designers are working with top of the line modern stagecraft and illusions to give the audience an incredible 21st century Broadway experience.
Are there specific challenges to stage adaptations of when the movie characters are so ingrained in popular culture, would you say?
I’m sure it’s a bit of a challenge for musical theatre writers initially but when you have such a fantastic and well known story at the core there is a lot of room for growth. Our show uses the stellar plot and characters of the original film and goes in some wonderful surprising directions that will delight older movie fans and younger audiences who are less familiar with the movie as well.
Which parts of the show/story are audiences particularly responding to as the tour progresses?
One of the most fun parts of touring is seeing which jokes resonate more or less depending on the audience and where we are in the country or even the world! We played Mexico for a month this summer. Basically, everyone loves different jokes and parts of the show. Undoubtedly, the dinner party scene that pays homage to the movie is a definite audience favorite no matter where we are!
Will you get much time to enjoy being in New Orleans? Can you name a few of your favorite restaurants/bars/activities in the city?
We came into town a few days early to spend as much time in NOLA as possible. We went to the Saints game at the superdome. What a freaking blast! We will definitely be going to Fritzels for jazz. I can’t wait to eat my weight in fried catfish and Jesse loves red beans and rice. I won’t be surprised if he has it for every meal. Even though it’s touristy we will definitely go to Lafittes. Jesse’s favorite is the sazerac bar in the Roosevelt hotel. Camellia grill is definitely a favorite and we will be chowing down on waffles there! We will also try to squeeze in a brunch at Commander's Palace.
You can find more details and ticketing information at The Saenger Theatre website, here.
