Isabella Esler on Bringing Lydia Deetz to Life in Beetlejuice on Broadway

Sally Chow
5 hours ago
7 min read

Updated: 22 minutes ago

From a spontaneous TikTok audition to more than 500 performances as Lydia Deetz, Isabella Esler’s rise has been anything but ordinary. Now making her Broadway debut in one of New York’s most iconic theaters, the performer opens up about the whirlwind journey that brought her here, the lessons she’s learned from theater veterans, and the grounding joy she still finds every time the curtain rises. In this on-camera conversation, Isabella shares her vulnerability, humor, and passion for storytelling, offering a rare glimpse into the heart of Broadway’s newest breakthrough star.

Isabella Esler Interview

Sally Chow: I'm here with the amazing Isabella Esler today, and we're going to be doing a little interview. Let's get started. So, you joined Beale Juice straight out of high school after seeing the audition notice on TikTok, which is crazy. So what was it like doing that just-for-fun kind of audition and then having that turn into an entire Broadway debut?

Isabella Esler: Yeah, I never thought that just sending in a little video would turn into something like this. I never thought I would be all the way in New York, making my Broadway debut in such a fun show. I truly did it for fun because I've been a fan of the show for so long, and I was like, “Why not?” And yeah, it's surreal.

Sally Chow: Well, clearly it's led to great things!

Isabella Esler: I'm very thankful.

Sally Chow: It's amazing. You've already produced Beale Juice more than 500 times on tour so far. How does it feel to bring Lydia Deetz to Broadway now in one of the most iconic theaters in New York?

Isabella Esler: It was so fun doing the show on tour because we got to experience so many different audiences all across North America. And now coming back to New York City, where that's the biggest theater market, it was really exciting. The fans have been so unbelievably amazing and supportive. And when we had our opening night, it was crazy. It was packed and everyone was dressed up too, like the characters. It was amazing.

Sally Chow: Lovely! That's gotta be amazing. I mean, coming back to right where it all started.

Isabella Esler: Yeah, especially because I left the show for a year. So I've been gone for a little bit. It's very full-circle to come back to the show that I've loved for so long after being away for a little bit.

Sally Chow: Going from community theater in San Jose to national tours and now coming to Broadway, what is one lesson that you learned in your early theater days that you still follow today?

Isabella Esler: I think the biggest thing is the importance of community, especially with live theater. Your relationships with your co-workers are so important, and it's what leads to a good performance, in my opinion, the connection and being supportive of one another and being besties with everyone. I've made such great connections growing up doing community theater. I've made some of my best friends in the whole world, and being able to support one another and help each other, too, when it gets hard, I think, is really important in this. I've been able to take that with me now in the professional world.

Sally Chow: Well, you know, talking about connections and being in this community. You're surrounded now by so many Broadway veterans. What have you learned from them, either on stage or off stage, and how has that shaped you as a performer?

Isabella Esler: When I first started the show, I definitely had a lot of imposter syndrome. You know, it was my first job. I didn't know what I was doing, and I was surrounded by such amazing actors. I think the biggest lesson I've learned is that they're people too. They were like, "We all make mistakes. Just don't be so hard on yourself." And just, everyone is doing their own thing, and everyone's trying to figure it out.

You know, I always thought that I was the only one who didn't know what they were doing, and that I need to be perfect 24/7. But that's not the case. Everyone starts from the beginning every time we're doing a new show.

I think I've learned to give myself more grace when I make mistakes, because I'm still learning, and I'm still learning now, even though I've been in the acting world for a couple of years. Yeah.

Sally Chow: I mean, it's a continual process. It never ends.

Isabella Esler: One hundred percent. I feel like I was definitely hard on myself in the beginning. But I think now, I've allowed myself to breathe and just take it day by day.

Sally Chow: Giving yourself more grace.

Isabella Esler: Yeah! I don't stress myself out so much to make things one hundred percent all the time.

Sally Chow: For sure. Lydia Deets is such an iconic character. Do you have any personal connections with her? And how do you make that role your own every night?

Isabella Esler: Well, I learned about the show when I was 16, like around 2020. And Lydia is this young, teenage, angsty girl. And I just feel like at that time I was like, "Oh, like she gets me!" Like she just wants to be heard. And I don't know. I felt like I related. I relate to her a lot with wanting to be heard and listened to, and have that community. And yeah, I find her really... I don't find a lot of strong, young female leads when it comes to Broadway and theater. It was very refreshing to see a character like that. I think I relate to her humor. She has a lot of dry humor and is very sassy and weird. I love that about her.

Sally Chow: You've also performed in Life After and earned a Dora nomination in Toronto. Congratulations on that! How did that experience differ from Beetlejuice? What did it teach you artistically?

Isabella Esler: That show was awesome! It was kind of funny: It was similar in a way to Beetlejuice, where they both dive into the topic of grief, but they're also very, very different shows.

The main difference was that Life After was a developing musical. It was a new musical. Things were changing all the time. I would get script changes every day, music changes. And I kind of was able to grow with the character and kind of contribute in a way, while Beetlejuice was already, at least when I joined the show, it was already an established show.

Not that I wasn't able to add my own spin to it, but I didn't have to adjust to new line changes and staging changes. So that was a really interesting experience for me. Like, sometimes I would get a completely new song to learn in like a day, which was like a lot to handle. But it was fun. It was really fun. It was a very new experience.

But it's made me learn how to adapt very quickly.

Sally Chow: Yeah, I mean, a whole song in a day... That... that's crazy.

You've spoken a lot about making people happy through your performance and through your roles. What moments have made you happiest on the stage?

Isabella Esler: Oh my gosh. Honestly, like right when I get on stage at the beginning of the show, and the music starts, and I can hear everyone in the audience applauding. It just makes me so excited to perform. I don't know. I do this as a job at the end of the day because it's fun. I started this as a hobby, and I really try to remind myself that this is just a fun thing that I also get paid for, which is awesome! And just knowing that, like, there are hundreds of people there to support us and are just in it with us, is the best part for me.

Sally Chow: I mean, like, there are so many people invested in the production. Whether it be like, you know, your fellow cast mates, or the audience and the fans.

Isabella Esler: I think that's why I really like live theater, because it's different every performance, and you always get a new crowd every time, and you get to see their reactions. Their new reactions every single time. It's like they're part of the show in a way.

Sally Chow: Yeah, for sure! Outside of theater, what are your favorite ways to recharge and stay creatively inspired?

Isabella Esler: I try to listen to music a lot. And yeah, I try to like sing it and learn some new song like pop songs, sing things that are separate from theater, to like, you know, get a little separation sometimes, which is nice. I like to read. I love reading. That's a nice way for me to chill out. But while still not being on my phone.

Sally Chow: You've already had such a whirlwind start to your career. If you could tell your younger self one thing before that first audition tape, what would you tell her?

Isabella Esler: Oh, gosh, I would tell her that it's gonna be okay. It's gonna be fine. Don't you know, I still kind of feel like this now, but at least back then I always felt like I needed to know what my life was gonna look like in the next five to ten years. Like, I need to plan everything out, and I need to be perfect, and I need to do all these things and prepare, but life does not work at all.

And honestly, I have no idea what my life is gonna look like in the next five years. And I think that's a good thing. And I would tell her to just appreciate the now, and you have no idea what's gonna happen in the future, but you will be fine.