Death Becomes Her

Tweet

“Glitter and Be Gay” is not just a Leonard Bernstein aria from Candide, but the perfect description of the campily funny new musical Death Becomes Her which just hit the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre like a friendly tornado.  Double entendres explode in all directions.  Take the song titled “For the Gaze,” as a tongue-in-cheek example.

Based on the 1992 film of the same name, the creators of the musical—Marco Pennette (book), Julia Mattison and Noel Carey (music and lyrics)—have taken the smarmy, star-studded film and turned it into an entertaining, equally star-studded musical.

The film, directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Martin Donovan and David Koepp, starred Meryl Streep as vain actress Madeline Ashton, Goldie Hawn as her jealous friend Helen Sharp, a writer, and Bruce Willis as Dr. Ernest Menville, who was the bone of the ladies’ contention.  Add in Isabella Rossellini as Lisle Van Horn, the modern-day sorceress who offers the two ladies a chance at immortality.  Even with all this star power, the film wasn’t a success, mostly due to its queasy tone.

The musical takes the same storyline to risibly glamorous heights, taking thorough advantage of the talents of theater veterans Megan Hilty (as Madeline), Jennifer Simard (as Helen), Christopher Sieber (Ernest) and Michelle Williams (renamed Viola).

Death commences its hilarious journey with Williams, wearing a sleek silvery gown, rising seductively from the orchestra pit, advertising her youth potion with “If You Want Perfection,” backed by one of the sexiest choruses on Broadway wearing next to nothing (extraordinarily alluring costumes and mind-blowing gowns by Paul Tazewell).

Swiftly paced by director Christopher Gattelli who also provided the sexily genre teasing choreography, Death squeezes from Pennette’s hilarious libretto every ounce of sexual innuendo starting with the above-mentioned song, “For the Gaze” which elicits screams of knowing approval from the audience as Hilty’s Madeline dances among the male chorus, changing her dazzling costumes several times with mind-boggling speed.  (There has to be scores of dressers waiting in the wings to accommodate the multitude of costume changes!)

Attending Madeline’s show is her old frenemy, Helen who brings along her fiancé Dr. Ernest Menville, an earnest, slightly nerdy plastic surgeon, music to Madeline’s ears.

She invites Helen and her beau to a cozy dinner where she seduces Earnest away from Helen causing a world-class grudge that powers the rest of the musical.  Helen goes crazy and vows to get revenge while Madeline and Ernest’s marriage doesn’t turn out as Madeline imagined it.  Free, in-house plastic surgery doesn’t help her fading career.

Both wind up as customers of Viola and both achieve uneasy immortality.  Their ever-youthful looks belie the reality of their afterlives which include the iconic fall down the staircase that causes ghastly neck problems for poor Madeline, problems even Ernest can’t straighten out.

All this unfolds within the gaudily colorful sets designed by Derek McLane.  The scenery, in divine overkill, even extends out into the house.

Williams doesn’t quite register as the sexy magician, but certainly sings prettily and wears her outfits with panache.  Her servant, Chagall, is given sensuous life by Taurean Everett.

Madeline is attended by Stefan played by the hilarious Josh Lamon who almost steals every scene in which he appears.

Death Becomes Her is witty fun raised to great art by its performers. Watching Hilty and Simard spar, singing the enjoyably apt score and chewing the scenery and each other is the musical event of the season so far.

Death Becomes Her (open run)

Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, 205 West 46^th Street, in Manhattan

For tickets, visit http://www.deathbecomesher.com

Running time: two hours and 30 minutes including one intermission