A prime example of a lavish Broadway musical comedy, Death Becomes Her roars to life on stage boasting a pair of fabulous lead performances from Megan Hilty and Jennifer Simard playing deadly duelling divas.
A screen-to-stage comedy adaption in the vein of The Producers, Dirty, Rotten Scoundrels, and Legally Blonde, Death Becomes Her succeeds by taking the camp conceit and iconic visual stunts of the 1992 movie and blending in a modern sensibility about body image and the endless, vacuous pressure on women to never look their age.
The laughs flow freely and rapidly in Marco Pennette’s sharp book, with plenty of comedy also enjoyed in the score by Julia Mattison and Noel Carey. The musical is solidly faithful to the movie, with any changes easily able to be seen as improvements. If there is one hesitation, it is that the tight focus on the three main characters means that the slight story is stretched rather thinly across the evening.
Madeline Ashton (Hilty) stars in the musical Me, Me, Me, which may as well also be the title of her life story. Madeline’s character does everything so people will look at her, ie she does it. “For the Gaze.” This camptastic number features extraordinary fast costume changes, including Madeline as Liza, Dorothy, and Julie Andrews in Victor/Victoria.
Visited backstage by her frenemy Helen Sharp (Simard), Madeline swiftly steals and weds Helen’s fiancé Ernest Menville, the noble plastic surgeon (Christopher Sieber).
Now named Viola van Horn (Michelle Williams), a seductive sorceress shares her exotic potion for eternal youth, leading the undead Madeline and Helen down a nightmarish path of body horrors. They can be injured but they cannot die. A stage production obviously cannot use the CGI that characterised the outlandishness of the movie’s visual effects but the terrific illusions by Tim Clothier are satisfyingly close to the real thing (no spoilers!).
Esteemed choreographer Christopher Gattelli makes the well-deserved move up to the role of director / choreographer, delivering an expertly realised blend of physical humour and spectacular dance balanced with a well judged sprinkle of humanity.
With no particular role to play, the scantily clad ensemble is little more than a set of dancing bodies. It is possible that there is a lower budget chamber version of this musical hiding inside the boffo spectacle playing at the Lunt-Fontanne.
The scenic design of Derek McLane and lighting design of Justin Townsend blend together for eye-popping glamour and seamless cinematic transitions. The costume design of Paul Tazewell adds further impossible glamour, also contributing to the delectable visual humour on display.
Mattison and Carey’s songs are readily hummable, and if there is a degree of similarity between some of the numbers it can readily attributed to maintaining the single thread of the story. The musical enjoys sumptuous accompaniment from an orchestra of 18 musicians, led by conductor Ben Cohn.
Hilty and Simard are dream casting, each bringing their inimitable comic stylings and killer vocals. In gorgeous voice, Hilty brings a cheeky playfulness to Madeline’s egocentric vanity and passive aggressive putdowns. Simard colours Helen’s withering responses with trademark deadpan expression, also singing up a storm. Sparks fly whenever Hilty and Simard share the stage, and the underlying gal pal affection of their devilish rivalry easily saves the show from tipping over into outright farce.
Sieber brings loveable schlub energy to exasperated surgeon Ernest, gamely representing the fact that men have it so much easier in society’s view of the aging process.
Given some of Tazewell’s most exotic costumes, Williams dazzles as the inscrutable Viola, slinking about the stage in style and singing the role with compelling flair.
Josh Lamon delights in the featured role of Madeline’s sassy yet long suffering assistant Stefan.
Musical comedies like Death Becomes Her are at their peak with their original casts and productions. Early attendance is highly recommended for lovers of this classic form of the Broadway musical.
Death Becomes Her plays at Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, New York. For tickets, click here.
Photos: Matthew Murphy (2024 Chicago season)