San Jose teen makes triumphant homecoming in starring role of hit musical

Isabella Esler is going back home.

And she’s doing it in a very cool way.

The San Jose teen, who graduated from Archbishop Mitty High School in 2022, makes her way back to the 4-0-8 as one of the stars of the hit Broadway musical “Beetlejuice.”

Esler plays Lydia — the role that Winona Ryder made famous in the 1988 film version of “Beetlejuice” —  in this touring production, which checks into San Jose’s Center for the Performing Arts for six nights, Aug. 1-6. Tickets are $33 – $153, broadwaysanjose.com.

It’s a huge achievement for Esler, who honed her acting and singing skills in numerous Children’s Musical Theater San Jose (CMTSJ) productions over the years. And it’s certainly not something that she expected to be doing so soon out of high school.

“In my head, I was convinced I was going to college,” she says. “Then this whole thing happened.”

Yet, her success certainly hasn’t surprised those who’ve known Esler — and witnessed her mighty talent — in all those CMTSJ productions she’s been in, ranging from “Once Upon a Mattress” to “American Idiot.”

“I believe her first production here was ‘The Velveteen Rabbit’ when she was 6,” says Dana Zell, CMTSJ’s managing director. “It’s been such a joy to watch her flourish.”

Zell recognized Esler’s potential early on.

“There are always some of those special performers you start to notice at such an early age,” she says. “Bella is definitely one of those people who stood out to me for many, many years.”