Isabella Esler is having the fright of her life on Broadway.
Esler, 21, stars as Lydia Deetz in “Beetlejuice,” the musical, which is back on Broadway for the third time at the Palace Theatre to finish out the run of the national tour. While she’s now making her Broadway debut with the show based on Tim Burton’s cult classic film, her journey with “Beetlejuice” dates back to when she was 16 years old listening to the musical’s cast album for the first time.
Isabella Esler
Like many fans, Esler, who had seen the film years before, was drawn to Lydia’s strength and humor as a young female.
“I was part of that fan base….I just loved that whole community,” she says. “Lydia was a character that spoke to me. I was 16 at the time, and she’s this teenage angsty girl who just wants to be heard. At the time, I was like, ‘Oh my God. That’s so me.’ I felt very attached to her from the beginning before I even knew that I was going to be in the show.”
A year later, when she was 17, Esler auditioned for and landed the part in the national tour, which turned her world upside down.
“This show kickstarted my career. It changed a lot of things for me,” Esler says. “In a way, I feel like the tour was my college. I was learning a lot about the theater industry and how to perform a Broadway schedule, and also working alongside a lot of actors that have been in the Broadway world for years.”
While Esler has been away from the tour for about a year, returning to the show on Broadway has been like coming home she says, as she reunites with her character Lydia and many of her tour castmates, including Justin Collette who plays Beetlejuice.
Isabella Esler and Justin Collette in “Beetlejuice.”
Matthew Murphy
“It feels fresh in a way, but also pretty similar. I was a little nervous going back in the show, because I thought I was going to forget everything, because it’s been a year, but when I got back, it was all muscle memory to me,” says Esler, adding that traditions of dancing backstage and making faces at fellow cast members through the wings are rituals that have stood the test of time.
However, she’s tackling the character a bit differently now than she did when she started the tour at 18.
“I’m approaching the role in a more mature way,” she says. “I relate to her a lot, so a lot of it, honestly, is just me being me. There wasn’t too much of having to make a whole entirely new character because she was close to me.”
There was also a new level of excitement returning to the show, as Esler and many of her castmates who had been on the tour for several years were making their Broadway debuts.
“Hearing when the music first started and hearing the audience go crazy, it made me think, ‘Wow, I’m in New York City. I’m about to be on a Broadway stage,’” she says. “It was overwhelming. I was excited, and my heart was pounding. It was so many feelings all at once.”
While fans gravitate toward the musical because of their love for the film and its otherwordly aesthetic, Esler believes fans are also able to identify with characters, the way she has with Lydia.
“At the end of the day, it’s a very heartwarming story about found family and grief. It has common themes that I feel like everyone can come together,” she says. “I felt like I was Lydia and a lot of people can relate to Charles, the dad, and in a funny way Beetlejuice as well.…Everyone can find themselves.”
The show’s album has gone viral several times over, which Esler attributes to the multitude of styles featured on the soundtrack. While her favorite moments are changing all the time, right now Esler is savoring her emotional solo “Home” performed in the Netherworld in act two.
“There’s so much going on in the show, which is awesome. I love it, like, but when I sing [‘Home’]…it’s a moment in the show where I can breathe and settle down a little bit, which I think is a nice contrasting moment in the show,” she says.
Isabella Esler performing “Home” in “Beetlejuice.”
Matthew Murphy
The show, which reopened on Oct. 8, will only run for 13 weeks, until Jan. 3, which has resulted in fans flocking to the Palace Theatre in full Beetlejuice garb, treating every performance like it’s Halloween.
“On tour, I would see people dressed up all year. I love it. Every single show, people were dressed up, so it always felt like Halloween to me, even in February,” Esler says, noting they are hosting a costume contest at the show every Thursday. “It’s just the show to see during the spooky season.”
Like the fans, Esler is soaking up every moment.
“When I left the tour, I thought that was the last time I was ever gonna do the show,” she says. “I feel like I’m getting a second chance to really take it in. Since it’s been a couple years, and I feel like a different person now, it feels very special to me, so I’m just trying to be present. I’m so happy to be back in the show because it feels like such a full-circle moment for me.”
