B'way/Film Reviews: Death Becomes Her; Wicked

Megan Hilty and Jennifer Simard in
Death Becomes Her.
Credit: Matthew Murphy and 
Evan Zimmerman

Get ready for the most ghoulish Broadway fun you’ve had in years. The stage version of Death Becomes Her, based on Robert Zemeckis’ outlandish 1992 film comedy, now at the Lunt-Fontanne, is a riotous romp with something for everyone. Hardcore Main Stem fans get to see two legitimate musical-comedy divas clash and ascend to their rightful places in the theater firmament. Those who revel in special effects will get their fill of incredible, credulity-defying twists and turns (literal and figurative). If you just want a good laugh, this show has them in cascades.

The two divas are a pair of hard-working pros who have long toiled in the Broadway vineyards and are finally getting their due at the top of the bill. Jennifer Simard has excelled in numerous supporting roles in Once Upon a One More Time, Hello, Dolly!, Company and Disaster (who can forget her ballad to a slot machine as a gambling-addicted nun?) Megan Hilty suffered through the bizarre TV series Smash and the near-miss 9 to 5, as well as playing replacement lead in Wicked. Here, in roles originated on film by Goldie Hawn and Meryl Streep respectively, the ladies rise to the occasion as two battling frenemies, sparring with insults and jabs supplied by razor-sharp book writer Marco Pennette. 

Jennifer Simard and Chrisopher Sieber
in Death Becomes Her.
Credit: Matthew Murphy and
Even Zimmerman

Anyone who’s seen the movie will not need much of a plot summary. For novices, here’s a brief recap. Film star Madeline (Hilty) and aspiring novelist Helen (Simard) battle over the same man, plastic surgeon Ernest (Christopher Sieber brilliantly holding his own), and dominance in their decades-long relationship. Once the duo have imbibed of a mysterious youth-rejuvenation formula supplied by a vampirish villainess (Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child, magnificently devious), they become immortal and impossible to bump off. But the guffaws start even before that ingenious plot device is introduced at the end of the first act.

Pennette’s laugh-a-minute book starts with a perfect parody of a Broadway number for Madeline to headline. In this version, she is a theater as well as a movie star blatantly catering to gays and paying tribute to every queer icon from Liza to her mom Judy in a musical spoof-show called “Me! Me! Me!” The effervescent, sparkly satire by composer-lyricists Julia Mattison and Noel Carey is perfectly on-target, staged with equal wit and dynamism by director-choreographer Christopher Gatelli. This joy and snap provided by the writers and stager carry through the entire evening. 

One of the highpoints of the film was the ingenious effects conveying the various ways the ladies damage their indestructible bodies (open gunshot wounds, completely revolving heads, etc.). In the movies, such tricks are easier to pull off than on stage. Thus, the mind-boggling efforts of Cha Romas (fight director) and Tim Clothier (illusions) as well as the magical costumes of Paul Tazewell are all the more dazzling and breathtakingly hilarious. We can see that stunt doubles are involved, but half the fun is seeing the techniques behind these seemingly impossible contortions, falls, and fisticuffs.

Michelle Williams, Megan Hilty and cast
in Death Becomes Her.
Credit: Matthew Murphy and
Evan Zimmerman

Aside from the clever staging, the performances are all socko. Hilty and Simard exhibit exquisite comic timing and spar with verve. Simard has a slight edge in that her character goes through more changes than Hilty’s. We get to see her transform from repressed, matronly wallflower to deranged asylum inmate to outrageous sex symbol in Tazewell’s spectacular red ensemble. But Hilty also brilliantly delivers wisecracks and jibes with admirable accuracy. Sieber goes beyond straight-man caught in the middle of this titanic cat fight, especially in an surprising patter number reminiscent of The Music Man’s “Ya Got Trouble.” In “The Plan,” Seiber has the difficult task of conveying information on dealing with the two insane women in his life while getting increasingly drunk and Derek McLane’s inventive set coming alive, all brilliantly staged by Gattelli. It’s a tour de force equal to his co-stars. In addition to the slinky, sexy Williams, Josh Lamon scores solid guffaws as Madeline’s put-upon assistant. 

Ironically, Death Becomes Her is one of the liveliest shows on Broadway, full of good, bitchy fun. 

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande in
Wicked.

And speaking of shows with duelling divas, I caught the film version of Wicked in IMAX and absolutely loved it. The box-office blockbuster defies the trend against movie musicals and is a top contender for the Oscars. (Wicked also challenges the idiotic “Woke Is Broke” mentality, proving an entertaining film with a message of inclusion and diversity can be a big financial winner.) I knew that Cynthia Erivo would be amazing given her performances in the revival of The Color Purple on Broadway and the film Harriet, but Ariana Grande was a total surprise. The pop singer proves she has acting chops as strong as her vocals. She’s a riot as the self-centered, too-good-to-be-true Glinda. Erivo is heartbreaking and powerful as the isolated Elphaba who finds her strength in her difference. Director John Chu’s vision of Oz is stunning (Death Becomes Her designer Paul Tazewell also did the magnificent costumes here) and the musical numbers are beautifully integrated into the action. This is only the first part of the story. The film ends with the climactic “Defying Gravity” which closes the first act of the stage show. I can hardly wait for Part Two next year.

Death Becomes Her: Opened Nov. 21 for an open run. Lunt-Fontanne Theater, 205 W. 46th St., NYC. Running time: two hours and 30 mins. including intermission. broadwaydirect.com.

Wicked opened nationwide on Nov. 22.