The cult classic goes full camp on Broadway

“Everything I do is for the eyes,” says Megan Hilty in her first track from the new film-to-musical-stage adaptation of Death becomes herwhich opened tonight at the Lunt-Fontanne Theater on Broadway. It’s a clever and not-so-subtle use of homophones, of course, as a debt of gratitude to the audiences most responsible for giving the original 1992 film cult classic status — a status that no doubt also paved the way for the fabled screen. to stage. (Witness a 2017 Vanity Fair article with the title “The Gloriously Queer Afterlife of Death becomes her,“ (which may or may not explain Liza Minnelli’s, Judy Garland’s, and bottomless pants on stage to Hilton’s tune.)

The fact that the new Broadway show did away with the film’s super-campy opener of Meryl Streep’s “Me” — the film’s only musical number by the way – and replaced it with equal camper “For the Gaze” tells you everything you need to know about the new production and its mission to get bigger and nastier each time. It is a mission that more often than not succeeds.

The basic structure is the same. Hilty plays Madeline Ashton (Streep in the film), an aging (in Hollywood years) actress fast approaching has-been status who is locked in a lifelong feud with frenemy writer Helen Sharp (played by Jennifer Simard here and Goldie Hawn in the movie ). Helen suffers a mental breakdown and then vows revenge after Madeline steals and marries Helen’s financier Ernest (Christopher Sieber, taking on the role of Bruce Willis). Complicating all of this is the fact that age-phobic Madeline and revenge-seeking Helen have both consumed a fountain-of-young potion to keep them forever young, but it’s a potion with some, shall we say, complications… especially after what would otherwise be life-ending events.

Within that structure, there are some story changes along the way in Marco Pennette’s script, including Ernest’s employment, the person responsible for pushing Madeline down the stairs, and a revamped ending. (Helen’s cool post-collapse outfit is also thankfully absent.) Of course, the big question theatergoers may have upon entering the Lunt-Fontanne is how the production can possibly recreate Madeline’s head being twisted backwards, or Helen getting a huge shotgun blast- big hole in her chest- especially without the use of copious CGI. We won’t spoil the surprise, but suffice it to say that director Christopher Gattelli leans on kitschy solutions there too.

Like the movie is a lot of Death becomes her the musical rests on the shoulders of its stars. Hilty is a comedic force to be reckoned with in both song and speech, cranking up the self-absorption to 11 and hilariously delivering every line as an over-the-top two-time Oscar loser relegated to starring in something which is called Dog Astronaut power. As Helen, Simard matches Hilton’s energy with her own well-placed quirks, especially when she catalogs her own obsession in the somewhat demented solo “Madeline.”

Naturally, the pair have a major show-stopping duet in the form of — SPOILER ALERT! – “Alive Forever”, but the two are even more effective when dialed down and playing off each other in the clucking “Tell Me, Ernest” – which serves as a highlight for a stable of songs from Julia Mattison and Noel Carey that aims to cram in as many jokes as hooks. (Considering I could only remember a handful of tunes after, that may serve as equal parts compliment and complaint.)

Sieber is a good sport as Ernest, playing more of a straight man than Willis’ more goofy, drunken portrayal in the film, and generally takes a backseat to the two feuding women. His one solo, “Till Death,” feels somewhat shallow, but is at least helped by some lively (hint, hint) set design by Derek McLane.

The one big swing and a miss comes in the form of Michelle Williams as Viola Van Horn – the mysterious and enigmatic supplier of the elixir that sets Madeline and Helen on their eternal journey. Played by a mostly nude Isabella Rossellini in the film, the role is amplified for the stage. In fact, Viola gets both the opening song and the last line of the show. But while Williams’ pipes are well-established from her time with Beyoncé in Destiny’s Child, the singer gives a strangely stiff and uncharismatic performance that stands out as a problem when the character she’s portraying is supposed to be the most charismatic and alluring presence of them all all. Even Viola’s epic opening wardrobe from costume designer Paul Tazewell and a beautiful purple glow bathing the stage from lighting designer Justin Townsend can only do so much.

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If you were looking for this Death to add a bit of social commentary with a feel-good message of female empowerment to help soften the original’s story of two women fighting each other over a man, look elsewhere. Beauty and the aging double standard between the sexes are at least winked at – “Men can walk around looking like a purse and that’s fine!” complains Hilty’s Madeline at one point—but more common are lines that poke fun at the character’s obsession with youth: “You’re getting drunk. sunset boulevard,” notes Madeline’s assistant Stefan (Josh Lamon). (For those who also want to go full Sunset Blvdthe musical happens to be playing two blocks away.)

The momentum over the course of two hours and 30 minutes also grinds to a halt in the second act – perhaps gently reminding the audience that not everything should actually last or take forever – but eventually recovers with a welcome reinvented ending. The new finish may lack the side (and arm and leg and head) splitting gag of the film, but offers a touching and terrifically funny send-up to our tragic love triangle of doom. Madeline and Helen may have faked their deaths, but we will no doubt see them again. After all, the only thing more eternal than these squabbles is the intellectual property that spawned them. Grade: B