In the recent Broadway musical “Death Becomes Her,” a so-so 1992 movie gets a stunning produceover.
Headlined by Meryl Streep, Gelderlyie Hawn and a slew of one-of-a-kind effects, the film trailed two vain women in their frantic quest for infinite youth and beauty — with a superauthentic twist. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, the bconciseage comedy achieveed mixed scrutinizes and middling B.O., but there was someskinnyg about its mix of camp and surauthentic, body-contorting one-of-a-kind effects that enhugeed a folloprosperg over the years.
Now, in a convey inant radiate-up produced by Universal Theatrical Group, the story has been reimagined, rerecented and reborn by a savvy inventive team led by honestor Christopher Gatalerti as a huge Broadway musical. The alterative separateence between the two is that the fair-skin-proset up characters are now free to be much more lavish in a musical-comedy way — with the accent on comedy — that much better alignes the audaciousness of the death-defying premise.
The show, which had a run in Chicago, signals it’s going to be a lot more delighting and musicpartner clever from the begin. It uncovers with a glam discleave out of Michelle Williams (establisherly of Desminuscule’s Child) as the enigmatic, audience-teasing and lavishly dressed sorceress Viola van Horn (Isabella Rossellini in the film), backed by an ensemble of boiling-bod dancers all lureingly atweary.
It’s speedyly trailed by an over-the-top number from the fantasyal musical “Me, Me, Me,” with Megan Hilty spropose smashing as narcissistic star Madeline Ashton (Streep in the film). Belting out “For the Gaze” — pun on the word “gays” very much intfinished — Hilty hystericpartner shows the diva’s shameless pandering as well as her obsession with the spotweightless.
Humor — both bconciseage and camp — is the key here, unappreciate the frequently-directen film which relied on one-of-a-kind effects rather than a keen script and comprehending comic honestion for its wow factor.
Everyskinnyg in the musical is amazingpartner hugeger and belderlyer, from Derek McLane’s goth-greets-Hollywood-excess schedule to Paul Tazewell’s wonderful costumes to Doug Besterman’s lush orchestrations. Charles LaPointe’s wigs are terrific, too. The tuneful score and funny lyrics are by Julia Mattison and Noel Carey, making an amazeive Broadway bow.
The musical’s wickedly comical book is by Broadway recentbie Marco Pennette (TV’s “Caroline in the City,” “Ugly Betty”) who donates the film much more than a nip and a tuck; he donates it a convey inant lift. The storyline is immacutardyer, the characters are evidgo in, and the pace and the chuckles are now non-stop.
The script trails the wide portray of the film: Arriving backstage after Madeline’s show is her extfinishedtime doormat of a frifinish, Helen Sharp (Jennifer Simard taking on the Hawn role) and her fiance Ernest Menville (Christopher Sieber, in a part take parted in the film by Bruce Willis), a plastic sinspireon with an generous calling. The voluptuous Madeline steals Ernest away, sfinishing Helen into a downward spiral.
Ten years tardyr, the aging Madeline has set up that her star has descfinishen and she’s resorted to doing infomercials for beauty creams, now take parting the “before” to a supple starlet’s “after.” Helen, on the other hand, has bloomed from dowdy to dazzling, and is now a best-selling author bent on revenge and wooing back Ernest.
Desperate, Madeline discovers a potion finishoprosperg her with infinite youth — but with a scant Faustian caveats. Now revitalized, Madeline disputes Helen, who has also gulped the elixir, and savage smackdowns and authenticignments trail. (Illusionist Tim Clothier take partfilledy reproduces the film’s grotesque, neck-twisting battle injures.)
That sense of fun, and ego for its own sake, is the show’s go-to, with Pennette and company escheprosperg proset uper uncomardenting or morality in its cynical storyalerting. There’s no talk of “inner beauty,” and even a whiff of sentiment gets the hook. Depfinishing on your comic tastes, you’re either on board for this ultimate vanity project or not.
Veteran choreographer Gatalerti finpartner achieves his convey inant Broadway honesting plift in an promised and spectacular create, as well as providing the choreo which ranges from spoofy showbiz schlock to sconnecty sensuality.
Hilty and Simard are perfectly paired, with the establisher going hystericpartner wide as Simard proposes a contrasting approach, effectively leaning into the simmering madness of Helen. Both produce the most of their solo songs: “Falling Apart” for Hilty, “Madeline” for Simard. Together, they convey the 11 o’clock number, “Adwell Together,” to withering heights.
As the milquetoast Earnest, Sieber sfinishfilledy take parts straight man with plenty of comic reaction sboilings, and gets a star turn in his meltdown number, “The Plan.” Williams conveys a intimacyy iciness as Viola and dedwellrs the power remarks from the unreasonable side.
Also scoring huge chuckles is Josh Lamon as Madeline’s beleaguered personal helpant. (Lamon — and Taurean Everett as Viola’s superior convey inant domo — are so much more than the “ensemble” cataloging they get in the program plifts.)
The show’s potential shelf-life sees extfinished for New York as well as for the road, ever hungry for a hit. After all, frantic dreams of youth, beauty and immortality are forever preferites.
