Beetlejuice's Kerry Butler on Crying Over Fire & Singing Little Shop of Horrors to Her Plants

Kerry Butler is once again back on Broadway originating a role in a new musical, and this time she's bringing Barbara Maitland to life on stage in Beetlejuice. The Tony-nominated musical marks Butler's 12th Broadway production and she's loving every minute. "It's going great over at the Winter Garden," Butler said to Beth Stevens in a recent interview on Broadway.com's #LiveAtFive. "I'm enjoying being dead. I love it! Playing someone eight times a week can really affect you as a person. I've had parts where I'm depressed and crying and it's really hard to shake, but Barbara is light and so happy. It's a good place to be eight times a week."

Based off of the 1988 Tim Burton classic film of the same name, Beetlejuice is jam-packed with humor and ghostly magic that still leaves Butler scared. "I do a lot of special effects and it's all old-school magic," she said. "In rehearsal, there's a moment where I'm levitating and my hand goes on fire and they said they were going to test the fireworks and explosions that are happening around me. I thought they were going to be these little things but there are big sparks flying all over the place and I started crying. That has never happened to me where I started crying. I went to my dressing room, cried for a second and then came back and did it again totally fine. I'm still afraid of the fire every night, though."

Before joining the Netherworld of Beetlejuice, Butler had appeared in several iconic productions including Hairspray, Little Shop of Horrors, Xanadu and most recently, Mean Girls. "I love creating new shows and new parts," she said. "Both Mean Girls and Beetlejuice started out in D.C. at the National Theatre so that was really fun. Exactly a year later I was in the same place, staying in the same hotel."

While she may be constantly working on new projects, Butler is still very much connected to her past. "I have been known to sing Little Shop of Horrors songs to my plants," she said. "I watched Hairspray Live! with my original Hairspray cast. We went to Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman's house to have a party. It was so exciting that the show still has a life."

Tony-nominated for her leading role in 2007's Xanadu, Butler was so serious about keeping a momento that she was willing to shell out big bucks. "I didn't steal my skates but I did buy them," she said. "I asked if I could have them and they said they were going to sell them off to a company so they let me buy them. They weren't cheap, but I still use them all the time to teach my eight-year-old to skate. It's nice to have them for sentimental value."

Catch Butler in Beetlejuice, now playing at the Winter Garden Theatre.

Watch the full #LiveAtFive interview below!