I had the great good fortune to see Death Becomes Her from the best seat in the house: front row, dead center. It’s my favorite perch because that’s where you get to see the work. The microbeats. The breath work. The sweat, spit, and precision that make up the muscle of live performance. Yes, I left lightly misted by the more… exuberant among the cast. Worth it.
The production is packed with talent. Performers at the top of their game. And yet, for all its glossy ambition, Death Becomes Her remains fundamentally what it is: a movie musical. Not in the sense of a musical made into a movie. But a movie that has been musicalized,and remains haunted by its own source material.
Death Becomes Her. Photo credit: Adam Josephs.
The problem isn’t the story. The bones of the original are still delicious: vanity, immortality, the warped cult of youth. But the original Death Becomes Her (1992) got to be grotesque. It got to be sharp and strange and digitally unhinged. You could blow a hole through Goldie Hawn’s stomach and twist Meryl Streep’s neck backwards, and it made the satire sing.
Onstage, that kind of physical disfigurement can’t really be done in high fidelity. So instead, they go for camp. Broad. Cheeky. Safe. It’s not a failure of effort,the staging is clever, the effects imaginative. But it shifts the tone. You’re no longer watching a descent into the surreal. You’re watching a very polished sketch about it.
Nothing sets that tone more clearly than the opening number: “I Do It for the Gaze.” And yes,that gaze. G-A-Z-E. But let’s not kid ourselves: the double meaning was fully intentional. Most of the audience heard it the other way. And honestly, that’s probably closer to the truth. This is a show that’s made for the boys in the fourth row wearing mesh shirts. No complaints. Just clarity.
I saw Kaleigh Cronin step in as Madeline Ashton, usually played by Tony Nominated Megan Hilty. Cronin, who also plays Stacey in the ensemble, delivered a performance that was both vocally strong and sharply comedic. She captured Madeline’s vanity and desperation with flair, making the role her own without mimicking Hilty’s interpretation. It’s always a treat to see an understudy shine, and Cronin certainly did.
The also Tony Nominated Jennifer Simard delivers her lines like they were handcrafted in a sarcasm workshop. But because the show leans so hard into style, the emotional stakes are a bit hollow. It’s not that they don’t hit their marks,it’s that the marks are written in dry-erase.
The supporting characters are fairly flat, serving primarily to advance the plot without much depth. Christopher Sieber, portraying Ernest Menville, the hapless husband caught between Madeline and Helen, delivers an amusing number. However, the role feels more like a series of checkboxes from the film rather than a fully realized character. The same applies to Michelle Williams as Viola Van Horn, the mystical figure offering the elixir of youth. While her performance is visually striking, the character lacks the enigmatic presence that made the original so memorable.
Still, there’s something here. The material wants to say something about the lengths we go to in order to be seen. Not loved. Not even admired. Just seen. And when the show touches that theme, even in passing,it hums with relevance. There’s a musical waiting to break through that has a little more bile in its throat and a little less Botox in its smile.
So yes, go see it. Especially if you love spectacle and sharp line delivery and watching Broadway actors nail laugh lines that land three blocks away. Just know that this isn’t a transformation story. Not really. It’s a very good-looking musical about a great, grotesque film that hasn’t quite escaped the mirror. I’m waiting for the off-off-Broadway satire: “Drag Becomes Her.”
And hey, if you’re lucky enough to sit up front, bring a handkerchief. It’s not the only thing that’ll be dripping.
Death Becomes Her has 10 Tony Nominations
- Best Musical
- Best Book of a Musical – Marco Pennette
- Best Original Score – Julia Mattison & Noel Carey
- Best Direction of a Musical – Christopher Gattelli
- Best Choreography – Christopher Gattelli
- Best Scenic Design of a Musical – Derek McLane
- Best Costume Design of a Musical – Paul Tazewell
- Best Lighting Design of a Musical – Justin Townsend
- Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical – Megan Hilty
- Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical – Jennifer Simard
🎭 Death Becomes Herhas enjoys an open run at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatr, 205 W 46th St, New York, NY 10036
🎟️ Ticket Options:
- Official Tickets:
Purchase directly from the production at:
https://deathbecomesher.com/tickets/ - Telecharge:
Buy tickets through the official ticketing partner:
https://www.telecharge.com/Death-Becomes-Her-Tickets - TKTS Discount Booths:
Same-day discounted tickets may be available at TKTS booths. Check current listings at:
https://www.tdf.org/shows/21731/death-becomes-her - TodayTix App – Digital Rush:
A limited number of $45 digital rush tickets are released at 9:00 AM on the day of the performance via the TodayTix app.
https://www.todaytix.com/nyc/shows/34895-death-becomes-her-on-broadway - Broadway Direct Digital Lottery:
Enter for a chance to purchase $40 tickets through the Broadway Direct digital lottery. Entries open at 7:00 AM and close at 2:00 PM the day before the performance. Winners are notified shortly after and have one hour to claim and pay for tickets.
https://lottery.broadwaydirect.com/show/dbh-nyc/
In-Person Rush:
A limited number of $35 rush tickets are available at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre box office on the day of the performance, subject to availability. The box office opens at 10:00 AM Monday–Saturday.
©️ Adam Josephs, 2025
