“Death Becomes Her” is one of the sexiest, funniest experiences you will ever have in a Broadway theater.
This clever musical comedy will have you dying laughing — forgive the pun. It has a book by Marco Pennette, and amusing music and lyrics by Julia Mattison and Noel Carey, and is based on the hilarious movie of the same name.
The musical stars Megan Hilty as actress Madeline Ashton and Jennifer Simard as Helen Sharp, her old friend, although they seem to be anything but friends. Neither of these women wants to age — they want eternal beauty, but they find out there is a price to pay for that. When you make a deal that involves your immortal soul, you better read the fine print.
“Death Becomes Her” will slay any audience and have you coming back for more. These actresses take physical comedy to the hilt — Hilty and Simard are absolutely marvelous. They both get to make a deal with Viola Van Horn, gorgeously played by Michelle Williams, who lights up that stage in every one of her scenes. She can give them eternal beauty — for a price. Williams’s vocals are on fire; she is dynamite.
The musical presents the combative relationship between Madeline and Helen. Toss in Ernest Menville (amusingly played by Christopher Sieber), Helen’s fiancé, and fireworks are sparked. Of course, Madeline only wants Ernest because he’s with Helen but ruining another person’s life is not a good reason to marry a man. And guess what: It does not make either of you happy.
There is a crazy, sensational amount of physical comedy in this musical that will leave you with your jaw dropped, stunned, and amused.
There are so many dazzling, sexy scenes in this musical, especially every time that Viola and her followers are on stage — young people with perfect bodies who know how to move them. Taureen Everett does a sensational job as Chagall, Viola’s sexy assistant. Another character who is hilarious to watch is Madeline’s assistant Stefan, portrayed by Josh Lamon. His reactions to Madeline are hilarious.
Every aspect of this production is mesmerizing, from the songs to the falling-down-the-stairs scenes; to the elaborate, vibrant sets by Derek McLane; the seductive costume designs by Paul Tazewell; lighting by Justin Townsend; sound by Peter Hylenski; hair and wig design by Charles LaPointe; make-up by Joe Dulude II; fight direction by Cha Ramos; music supervision by Mary-Mitchell Campbell; orchestration by Doug Besterman; music direction by Ben Cohn; and direction and choreography by Christopher Gattelli.
The fantastic leads in this cast are supported by a wonderful ensemble of actors, including Marija Abney, Lauren Celentano, Sarita Colon, Kaleigh Cronin, Natalie Charle Ellis, Michael Graceffa, Neil Haskell, Kolton Krouse, Sarah Meahl, Ximone Rose, Sir Brock Warren, Bud Weber, Ryan Worsing, Warren Yang, Kyle Brown, Lakota Knuckle, Johanna Moise, and Amy Quanbeck.
For tickets, go to http://www.deathbecomesher.com.