The Whole Being Back Thing Lyrics - Beetlejuice

Song Overview

A fresh riff for a third Broadway life, “The Whole Being Back Thing” is a promo-friendly rewrite of the show’s famous opener. It keeps the same vaudeville snap but swaps death jokes for comeback gags - venue shoutouts, the 13-week countdown, and a sly nod to years on the road. Sung by Justin Collette, with new lyrics by composer Eddie Perfect, it doubles as a curtain-raiser for the Palace Theatre engagement and a winking thank-you to fans who kept the lights on.

Review and Highlights

Quick summary

1. New 2025 parody-lyric take on the opening number, created for the show’s third Broadway run at the Palace Theatre.
2. Performed by Justin Collette; new text by Eddie Perfect.
3. Built to acknowledge the tour years and previous Broadway houses while hyping a limited 13-week engagement.
4. Functions as marketing content and pre-show energy rather than a permanent score replacement.

Creation History

Beetlejuice has a habit of refreshing its welcome. In 2022, the production released an updated “Being Dead Thing” video to celebrate its Marquis Theatre reopening. For 2025, the team leans in harder - retooling lines to greet the Palace Theatre and to crack jokes about the long road back. According to People magazine, Collette recorded the new parody track ahead of the October 8, 2025 start, with Perfect supplying the fresh text. Playbill logs this Palace run as a third Broadway engagement, following Winter Garden (2019) and Marquis (2022). Broadway.com’s listing confirms the strictly limited dates and venue.

Song Meaning and Annotations

Plot

There’s no plot twist here - it’s Beetlejuice, mic in hand, resetting the rules of the room. The lyric turns the opener into a status report: we toured, we’re back, here’s the new address, here’s how long we’re haunting it. The punchlines still wag their eyebrows at mortality, but the target is reunion and momentum.

Song Meaning

At heart, the rewrite is hospitality. The original opener breaks the ice with gallows humor; this version breaks it with gratitude and swagger. It acknowledges the weird, winding path - shutdown, return, tour, return - and invites the audience to join the bit. Think of it as a prologue about resilience dressed in stripes.

Annotations

Venue roll call and “rule of three” talk

A meta-joke about having played Winter Garden, then Marquis, now Palace. It’s fan service that also orients first-timers.

Thirteen-week clock

Turns a scheduling detail into urgency. It’s a carnival barker move that matches the character’s showman DNA.

Tour-life gag and money quip

Tour fatigue and paycheck humor underline the show’s real-world grind without breaking the bit - the demon is tired, but he’s still selling.

Style notes

Still a patter engine with call-and-response bumps, now trimmed to spotlight comeback lines and local color. The groove sits where it always did - bright, percussive, and ready to spike a blackout.

Key Facts

• Artist: Justin Collette (performance associated with the 2025 Broadway engagement)
• Composer: Eddie Perfect
• Lyric update: Eddie Perfect (parody rewrite for 2025 return)
• Release Date: October 2025 preview window for the promotional track
• Type: Promotional parody of the established opening number
• Genre: Musical theatre patter song
• Label: Production promotional release
• Venue context: Palace Theatre, New York - limited 13-week run
• Language: English
• Music style: uptempo, fourth-wall break, emcee narration
• Poetic meter: mixed, speech-like scansion over a 4-beat grid

Canonical Entities & Relations

People

Justin Collette - performs the 2025 parody-lyric opener. Eddie Perfect - composer and lyricist, author of the new text. Alex Timbers - director of the Broadway production.

Organizations

Palace Theatre - 2025 Broadway venue. Playbill - production listing. Broadway.com - ticketing and cast info.

Works

“The Whole ‘Being Dead’ Thing” - original opening number on the cast album. “The Whole Being Back Thing” - 2025 parody-lyric promo tied to the Palace run.

Venues/Locations

Winter Garden Theatre (2019), Marquis Theatre (2022), Palace Theatre (2025).

Questions and Answers

Is this a brand-new song or a rewrite?

A rewrite - a parody-lyric variation of the opener, tailored for the 2025 engagement.

Will these lyrics replace the show’s normal text at every performance?

They’re primarily promotional. The production historically tweaks lines for special occasions, but the core opener remains.

Who sings it on the 2025 Broadway run?

Justin Collette headlines as Beetlejuice for the Palace Theatre engagement.

Why reference specific theatres in the lyric?

It’s a wink at the show’s journey - first Winter Garden, then Marquis, now Palace - and a way to include longtime fans in the joke.

How does this compare to the 2022 refresh?

The 2022 video nudged lines to mark the comeback; the 2025 parody goes further, building a full “we’re back” patter.

Does the 13-week line reflect the real schedule?

Yes - the Palace run is a limited engagement slated for roughly 13 weeks in late 2025.

Is there a cast album with this text?

No - this is a one-off promo. The official cast album retains the 2019 opener.

Additional Info

According to Playbill’s show page, the 2025 run reunites much of the tour company, and Broadway.com’s listing nails down the dates and venue. People magazine premiered the “Being Back” video - a tidy way to reintroduce the show to casual audiences. TheaterMania’s 2022 clip of the opener is a useful time capsule that shows how the team has treated the number as a living welcome mat, adjusting it to the moment.

Sources: People magazine, Playbill, Broadway.com, TheaterMania, New York Theatre Guide.