Photographer: Ben Cope; Hair & MUA: Emma Croft; Wardrobe Stylist: Estelle Aporongao

Isabella Esler is a Colombian-American singer, and actress who is lucky -and prepared enough- to play Lydia in the ‘Beetlejuice’ musical that tours across the United States.

Back in 1988, Winona Ryder made the character famous in the cult-classic film version, making it a great milestone for Esler who honed her acting and singing skills in numerous Children’s Musical Theater San Jose (CMTSJ) productions over the years.

It was a pretty long process. Isabella saw online that the auditions process was open and thought “Well, I’ll send one in.” She sent a self-tape, but -as usual- didn’t hear a word for a couple of months. Then she ended up getting/doing a few callbacks and self-tapes for Broadway. Over time, it all turned to in-person callbacks for the tour, and that lasted until that very summer. After a flight to New York for a week to do callbacks, she got the call saying she got the tour!

In this conversation, she opened up about her big step with this role and the experience she has had so far. From now on, we see a star born to add his talent to the entertainment industry. So, keep reading and enjoy!

THE FIRST THING WE WANT TO KNOW IS HOW AND WHEN DID YOU START DOING THEATER?

I’m very thankful for the city I grew up in that had a pretty big theater community. I’ve always loved music and singing and when I moved to California when I was 6 my parents thought that I would like musical theater so they put me in a theater production and I never really stopped doing it after that.

CAN YOU REMEMBER THE MOMENT WHEN YOU SAID 'I WANT TO DO THIS SERIOUSLY’?

It was kind of hard to find a moment because I knew I always loved it! Just the art of singing and acting was always so fun for me and I loved watching musicals and movies and tv shows but I never really registered that it could be a job for a while. I think in my junior year is when I realized that I wanted to be an actor and I think the support from my family and friends really solidified that for me.

HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE PART OF THE BEETLEJUICE NATIONAL TOUR AND TO PORTRAY THE ICONIC CHARACTER OF LYDIA?

It’s definitely overwhelming but in such a great way. Going into the rehearsal process I knew that this show had a very active fan base, especially on social media and I knew Lydia was such a special character for a lot of people so I really wanted to do her story and her character right. It’s been really fun to be able to explore her character! Definitely a really big learning experience for me but it has been so great meeting so many new fans from around the country and just being able to bring this fun story to different cities!

YOU HAVE BEEN PERFORMING ON STAGE FOR MOST OF YOUR YOUNG LIFE. HOW IS THIS DIFFERENT?

For one, the schedule is completely different. With my community theater productions and high school shows, the performances were only two weeks and only on weekends. For this schedule, it’s 8 shows in one week, sometimes 9 and we’ve been doing this for 6 months. So it’s been a learning experience listening to my body and adjusting to such a unique schedule.

THERE WAS ANY PARTICULAR PREPARATION FOR THIS CHARACTER?

I did watch the movie a couple of times as well as the musical to just get a vibe on how I wanted to portray Lydia. It took me more time to really get comfortable with this character because there were so many elements to the show that I had to get used to. I’ve been able to take time and learn over the past couple of months what works for me and for this character. It’s definitely not something you learn super quickly and everything just comes naturally to you. It was important for me to give myself grace and realize that it can take time.

AS A COLOMBIAN-AMERICAN ARTIST, IS THERE ANY CHANCE THAT YOU INCORPORATE YOUR CULTURAL BACKGROUND INTO YOUR PERFORMANCES?

I’m not sure I can recall anything specific that I try to incorporate my culture into the show. However, my identity being a Latin-American woman and bringing this loved character to life has been a very cool experience. Just being able to provide a little representation to the musical theater community is very important to me and I have met so many amazing Hispanic fans who have told me how inspiring it is to see themselves in such a role. It really means a lot to me. I have seen many comments and fans where they’re inspired and happy to see themselves on stage, especially in such a fun show.

BEETLEJUICE HAS A STRONG FOLLOWING AND A UNIQUE FAN BASE. WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR MOST MEMORABLE INTERACTION WITH A FAN WHILE ON TOUR?

It’s so hard to recall specific fan experiences! I have met so many amazing people who have fully dressed up for the show and they tell me how much this show and story means to them. It’s great to know that you’re able to be a little part of something so special to someone in the audience. I have also received a lot of fan art which has been crazy because it’s honestly insane to see so many people that are so artistically talented!

THE MUSIC IN BEETLEJUICE IS KNOWN FOR ITS CATCHY AND ENERGETIC TUNES. WHICH SONG FROM THE SHOW IS YOUR PERSONAL FAVORITE TO PERFORM, AND WHY?

I think my favorite song changes every week. But I always love ‘Beautiful Sound’ which is at the beginning of Act 2. The song includes a bunch of dancing Beetlejuice clones that add to the craziness of the scene which makes everything so much fun. It’s a fun way to start the second act! Another one I also love so much is ‘Home’ which appears halfway through act 2. It’s a very pivotal moment for Lydia’s development and it’s just such a special song to me. It’s also a big contrast from a lot of the show which is cool to explore.

HOW IS THE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE GROUP?

It’s amazing. I’m really thankful to have such a supportive group that has made me feel at home and welcome, especially just starting out.

CAN YOU SHARE ANY BEHIND-THE-SCENES STORIES OR FUNNY MOMENTS THAT HAVE HAPPENED DURING THE BEETLEJUICE NATIONAL TOUR?

One of my favorite moments of the show was right at the beginning of our run. It was halfway through Act 2 in the Netherworld and we had our fog machine on. Everyone is dancing and doing their thing when it just slowly gets way more foggy. I guess the fog machine malfunctioned and it started spewing way too much smoke to the point where we couldn’t see anything. Even the audience couldn’t see any of the actors dancing because the stage was just filled with smoke. We had to stop the show for a little while because it could’ve gotten dangerous. We waited while the fog went away and we had people go on stage with a fan to blow it away and the audience kept cheering. It was definitely an interesting and funny experience but it was great that the audience was so into it.

WHAT CHALLENGES HAVE YOU ENCOUNTERED WHILE TAKING ON THE ROLE OF LYDIA, AND HOW HAVE YOU OVERCOME THEM?

I think the most difficult thing for me was stamina. There is so much going on in the show that it took me a while to learn how to keep it up 8 times a week. Both vocally and physically it was hard for me for a little bit but I think I learned how to balance things out to keep a consistent performance without going too hard.

I INSTANTLY RECOGNIZED THE SIMILARITIES IN THE CLOTHING BETWEEN YOU PLAYING LYDIA, AND ACTRESS JENNA ORTEGA, WHO PLAYS “WEDNESDAY” AND IS ALSO DOING A TERRIFIC JOB. WHAT’S YOUR OPINION ABOUT THIS?

I think Jenna Ortega is an amazing actress so it’s great! Especially seeing another Latina woman having such a great career is definitely inspiring. So I don’t mind at all when people compare the two. I definitely see both Lydia and Wednesday being similar.

AS AN ACTRESS, WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO ASPIRING PERFORMERS?

This is a hard question for me because I feel like I'm still learning! I would probably say to just really put yourself out there and be open to change and redirection!

WHAT IS YOUR DREAM RIGHT NOW IN PROFESSIONAL TERMS?

I’m honestly open to pretty much anything! I honestly really love both the theater and film world so I would be open to new opportunities in both departments. It’s exciting because anything can change and happen.

Isabella Esler: The Colombian-American singer and actress succeeding as Lydia in the Beetlejuice musical

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