In BEETLEJUICE at Shea’s, recent high school grad Isabella Esler steals the show
By Peter Hall March 23, 2023
Broadway Cast Photos by Matthew Murphy
THE BASICS: BEETLEJUICE, the musical based on the movie, with music and lyrics by Eddie Perfect, book by Scott Brown and Anthony King, part of the M&T Broadway series at Shea’s, March 21-26, Tuesday – Friday at 7:30, Saturday at 2:00 and 8:00, Sunday at 1:00 and 6:30. At Shea’s Buffalo Theatre, 646 Main Street Buffalo, NY 14202. 716-847-1410 sheas.org/buffalo-theatre
RUNTIME: A little over 2 hours 30 minutes.
Producer’s note: “The show contains strong language, mature references, and a lot of the crazy, inappropriate stuff you would expect from a deranged demon. Recommended for 10+. Parental discretion is advised.”
THUMBNAIL SKETCH: In this Broadway tour based on the 1988 Tim Burton movie starring Michael Keaton, a recently deceased couple, now as ghosts haunting their former home, contact Beetlejuice, an obnoxious and devious “bio-exorcist” from the Netherworld, to scare away the house’s new (living) inhabitants who are a young girl seriously grieving her beloved mother who recently died and her clueless father who has taken up with a bit of a floozy claiming to be a life coach able to snap young Lydia out of her depression.
THE PLAYERS, THE PLAY, AND THE PRODUCTION: This is a pretty funny musical and while seeing the original movie will, as with any movie-to-musical show, enhance the experience and also connect a lot of the dots, I have assured acquaintances that prior knowledge is not necessary.
The song lyrics by Eddie Perfect are beyond clever in the best tradition of musicals and operettas. And the book is chock full of witty contemporary references with two of my favorites coming early on when the former homeowners ask Beetlejuice for advice on how to haunt and he tells them to start by thinking of the scariest things they know. The husband, Adam, says it’s “The Electoral College” and the wife, Barbara, says it’s “The parking lot at Trader Joe’s.” Having been in that parking lot recently, I concur. Britney Coleman as Barbara and Will Burton as Adam are those high-quality physical actors that we expect on a Broadway tour along with Kate Marilley as Delia, the life coach with benefits, and the clear-voiced Jesse Sharp as the dad.
Isabella Esler (Lydia) | Photo by Matthew Murphy
Because Matthew Michael Janisse (filling in for Justin Collette) as Beetlejuice maintained Michael Keaton’s iconic raspy voice I must admit that I didn’t quite catch all of his good lines. Asking around, I found that I wasn’t alone, perhaps because we were also sitting under the balcony overhang, which tends to cut off the sound slightly. But, it didn’t matter how good he was or wasn’t as an Understudy because the show was stolen by Isabella Esler as the young daughter, Lydia.
According to her short bio in the playbill, this is her professional debut having recently graduated from high school. Are you kidding me? Miss Esler delivered like an old Broadway hand with her Tik-Tok style dancing, her confident acting, and her singing which brought down the house. Obviously, the producers understand what they’ve got, because the curtain call bows are shared equally by Beetlejuice and Lydia.
As the show nears its end, Lydia sings a center-stage solo to her mom, the tug-at-your-heartstrings “Home,” then a few minutes later is the lead in the eleven o’clock all-cast number “Creepy Old Guy” in which, as a deceptive maneuver to get rid of Beetlejuice, she seems to agree to marry him. Rest assured, she does not.
Karmine Alers (Juno), Tour Company of Beetlejuice, Jesse Sharp (Charles) and Isabella Esler (Lydia) | Photo by Matthew Murphy
I wasn’t alone in instantly recognizing the similarities of actress Isabella Esler (Lydia) to actress Jenna Ortega, who plays the title role in the Tim Burton series “Wednesday” (as in Wednesday Addams) on Netflix. Esler’s black dress, her wig, many of her moves, and her general “Wednesday-ish” demeanor made this other Tim Burton role completely contemporary and fresh for 2023.
So not only was the original “Beetlejuice” movie also a Tim Burton project, but in the playbill, there’s a note from the Cast and Creative Team of Beetlejuice that reads “We want to thank Tim Burton for his imagination, which has inspired us all throughout our many years working on this show. We are grateful that he cleared a path for us to play in the extraordinary world of his creation.”
I’m giving the show itself three Buffalos but Miss Esler gets five, so we’ll average the final rating to Four Buffalos.
*HERD OF BUFFALO (Notes on the Rating System)
ONE BUFFALO: This means trouble. A dreadful play, a highly flawed production, or both. Unless there is some really compelling reason for you to attend (i.e. you are the parent of someone who is in it), give this show a wide berth.
TWO BUFFALOS: Passable, but no great shakes. Either the production is pretty far off base, or the play itself is problematic. Unless you are the sort of person who’s happy just going to the theater, you might look around for something else.
THREE BUFFALOS: I still have my issues, but this is a pretty darn good night at the theater. If you don’t go in with huge expectations, you will probably be pleased.
FOUR BUFFALOS: Both the production and the play are of high caliber. If the genre/content are up your alley, I would make a real effort to attend.
FIVE BUFFALOS: Truly superb–a rare rating. Comedies that leave you weak with laughter, dramas that really touch the heart. Provided that this is the kind of show you like, you’d be a fool to miss it!
Source: https://www.buffalorising.com/2023/03/in-beetlejuice-at-sheas-recent-high-school-grad-isabella-esler-steals-the-show/?fbclid=IwAR08DrfZgJVZQxtTbdn10h6vnOGPr5Y3pF3RVSFgET--aHWtxrLr5NQRdwU
