‘Death Becomes Her’ Cast And Creators On Turning The Film Into A Musical

It has been 32 years since the dark comedy film Death Becomes Her first arrived on the big screen, about two competitive, middle-aged women willing to go to unfathomable lengths to look young and beautiful forever. This cult classic starred Hollywood heavyweights Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn and Bruce Willis, a project that has only grown in popularity over the past three decades, intriguing generation after generation with its memorable lines, its outrageous story and its iconic performances. Now, the twisted tale is making its pre-Broadway debut in Chicago with the world premiere of the much-anticipated Death Becomes Her musical adaptation, from April 30 to June 2 at the Cadillac Palace Theatre.

For Universal, the same company that distributed the movie in 1992, this moment has been a long time coming. Chris Herzberger, Senior Vice President at Universal Theatrical Group, said of Death Becomes Her’s journey from screen to stage, “What we do at the studio in the Universal library is look for great stories and properties that we would love to see on-stage. It’s nearly 10 years ago since we started talking about exploring the idea of a Death Becomes Her musical and we had been getting calls left-and-right of people interested in pursuing this. When we finally got the support of David Koepp and Martin Donovan, who wrote the screenplay, and Robert Zemeckis, who of course directed the film, it was full speed ahead. Since then, it has honestly been the most joyful, hilarious, absurd, wonderful process you could possibly imagine.”

A few years back, music and lyrics co-creator Julia Mattison recalls hearing about a Death Becomes Her musical idea being kicked around for a few years, before she landed a meeting with Universal. When the idea of adapting the cult classic was brought up in front of her, Mattison remembers jumping at the opportunity and then bringing on her longtime friend Noel Carey to create original music & lyrics ideas to pitch to the Universal team.

Together, Carey and Mattison wrote two songs on spec, including a musical number that still exists in the show titled “Falling Apart,” which ultimately got them the job in March 2020, at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. From there, Mattison and Carey recall writing much of the musical together over the phone, on Zoom and renting the occasional cabin.

“I have always been a huge fan of the film,” Mattison said. “Especially college - that was my deep obsession. It was just so fun and as Zemeckis fans, as fans of that craft, we want to make sure to honor it in every way. It’s that beautiful gift where it’s kind of like a messy, wonderful cult film that’s so beloved but it’s rich for source material. We can expand on it, we can get into more specifics in their relationship and build it out.”

The new musical production is directed and choreographed by Christopher Gattelli and stars Tony Award nominees Megan Hilty as Madeline Ashton, Jennifer Simard as Helen Sharp, Christopher Sieber as Ernest Menville and Michelle Williams as Viola Van Horn, a name change from the film’s Lisle Von Rhuman character name, a role made famous by Isabella Rossellini. Alongside their young and energetic ensemble cast, these seasoned actors cannot wait for the world to see this live production for the very first time.

“You guys ain’t ready,” Sieber said, previously known for his stage work in Shrek the Musical and The Prom. He joined the Death Becomes Her production about two years ago, when book writer Marco Pennette reached out to him about the role of wormy and pushover plastic surgeon, Ernest. “We started tech and we’ve seen the set that we’ve all heard of and we’ve seen pictures, but to see it physically and to be in that environment is ridiculous. I haven’t been gobsmacked from a set reveal in a long time and I’ve done a lot of stuff. It’s insane! Not only is the book and the lyrics & music hilarious, but the set and the costumes - it’s really fun!”

Hilty, who is arguably best known for her memorable stage performances in productions like Wicked, 9 to 5: The Musical and on the television series Smash, remembers meeting with Universal’s Herzberger and Lowe Cunningham a year and a half ago, as they shared with her the music and script for Death Becomes Her.

“I was sitting very comfortably in my home in Los Angeles going, ‘Uh oh! I might be going back to eight shows a week. Uh oh!’ Because I kept saying if I ever do it again, because it’s very difficult, it has to be for the right thing. I just think the script and the score are so smart. It’s a very easy trap for a movie to be turned into a musical, to just take it and set it on stage and let it be, but what they’ve done is smartly tailor it to this new medium. The movie is one of my top three films of all-time. I think it elevates the material, what they’ve done.”

As for Simard, perhaps best known for her outstanding stage performances in Disaster!, Company and Once Upon a One More Time, she joined the Death Becomes Her musical early on in September 2022, adding: “I think right away, it was a good fit.”

Simard went on to say, “Let me just talk about my fabulous co-star Megan Hilty. We have a pact that our relationship off-stage is as important as the relationship on-stage, and it’s only going to feed the relationship on-stage. What I love about Megan, besides her incredible talent - wait until you see her - is that she’s just a gal’s gal and that’s what I try to be, so there’s no room for drama and the ‘frenemy’-ness of Helen and Madeline for the stage - we are friends off-stage.”

Williams, who is very well-known for being one-third of the chart-topping music group Destiny’s Child, is also no newcomer to the stage, kicking off her Broadway debut way back in 2003 in Aida. Since then, she has gone on to perform in stage productions of The Color Purple, Once On This Island and Chicago. Williams says she booked the Death Becomes Her role of Viola Van Horn this past February, an enigmatic character who tempts Madeline and Helen to drink a special potion that promises eternal youth.

Being a Rockford, Illinois native, I wondered what it means to Williams to get to join this production, which is having its world premiere within her home state. “It means the world to me. I had this experience with The Color Purple here in this [Cadillac Palace] Theatre - and so, it’s really amazing to be in these beautiful theaters and that my family members get to see me in a different way.”

Following other fan-favorite films that have made their way onto the stage in recent years, for better or worse, from Pretty Woman and Mrs. Doubtfire to Means Girls and Legally Blonde, I wondered if this Death Becomes Her cast feels the pressure that can come with adapting a treasured tale from the screen to the stage, or if they are able to block out any outside noise and focus on the creative process in front of them.

Simard began by saying, “I feel zero pressure about that. The work speaks for itself. Sometimes those things succeed, sometimes they don’t. In my gut, I have felt like this is a winner from the beginning and that’s due to our book writer Marco Pennette - that’s due to our composer and lyricists Noel Carey and Julia Mattison. Wait until you see this young composing duo and what they’ve done. I’ve sung a lot of things - I’ve been around for a minute and I know when it’s great and I know when it’s not. This is sublime! What they have done is sublime - it’s a joy to sing. Not to mention Christopher Gattelli - he’s the best there is.”

Sieber said, “Here’s the thing about the situation where they put movies on-stage. What sometimes happens is they will take the movie script and shove songs in them. You see that a lot and most of the time when they do it, people go see it because they know the name and they know what they’re going to get. What happens is, it’s not good because you’re just seeing the movie with songs shoved in there.” He added: “We have all the things you want to see from that movie - the lines, the moments, all those great things - those are still there but the source material has been elevated now and we get to do it our own way.”

He went on to tease that the Death Becomes Her stage production tips its hat to the film’s stars Streep, Hawn and Willis during the new musical comedy. “There are moments definitely that we have made sure that they are honored during our show. You will see them, one way or another, which I can’t say, but you will see them. They are in our show.”

Hilty playfully added about the pressures that come with adapting these popular cinematic stories, “There are so many elements of this that can be so daunting that it’s paralyzing. Like who do I think I am, doing a role that Meryl Streep has originated? Who do I think I am? But arguably, that’s all I’ve ever done in my career, is take things that somebody else has made deeply iconic and then I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’ll try that!’ But I think the trick to that is honoring what has been set before you and finding a balance between that and bringing yourself to it, so it’s real, you know?”

Being a story about striving to hold onto one’s youth and the fear of beauty fading with age, I asked the show’s two leading ladies, Hilty and Simard, if this 32-year-old Death Becomes Her story feels as relevant in our society today, if not more, with the ongoing use of Botox and other cosmetic procedures, as well as the habitual use of face filters that people tend to use on photos of themselves across social media.

Hilty said, “Absolutely! Unfortunately, these themes are even more prevalent today, in my opinion, and the idea that we are constantly chasing this idea of perfection that is set by who? - and doesn’t exist and just by design makes us to feel terrible constantly. What I love about this show is that these two women, who have arguably done the most in their chase to perfection, ultimately learn that life is not about that. It’s about the people that we surround ourselves with and finding our person, whatever that may look like and however that turns out.”

Simard concluded with, “I can’t speak for all human beings, but I do think a lot of people, men and women, feel the pressure that we all seem to be under in that regard. What I love about this show - let Megan Hilty and Jennifer Simard serve as a warning to the others - this show sort of shows the importance of the right choices in life, which is about finding your people - finding your person. Who are you going to grow old with? That’s the beautiful thing - that’s a natural part of life and it should be.”