Video: Jennifer Simard and Michelle Williams Reflect on DEATH BECOMES HER Success on CBS MORNINGS
The show has been nominated for 10 Tony Awards, including one for Simard's performance.
By: Josh Sharpe May. 22, 2025
On Thursday, Death Becomes Her stars Michelle Williams and Jennifer Simard joined CBS Mornings to discuss the acclaimed new musical. The show has been nominated for 10 Tony Awards, including one for Simard's performance as Helen Sharp.
"It does not get old," said Simard of her nomination. "Every one feels different. It's sort of like asking a parent 'Who is your favorite child?' This one means as much to me as the first, and I'm so very grateful."
Williams, who plays sorceress Viola Van Horn, talked about her grand entrance at the top of the show. "When I'm in the pit, I'm kind of gauging what I feel the energy is going to be. I can tell by his chit-chattery the audience is," Williams explained. "When the lights go down and [I hear] the 'Woo!'...that means we've got an amazing, cool, energetic crowd."
Simard also shared her thoughts about why the show resonates with people regarding its themes of beauty in aging. "We're all in our prime, no matter what age you are. You claim it, it's yours. I do think, as women, you can't win...so it is my belief that you do whatever you want to make you feel empowered in your own skin and it's no one else's business after that." Watch the full interview now.
With 10 Tony Award nominations, Death Becomes Her is now playing through Sunday, April 5, 2026, at the Lunt-Fontanne. It is the most nominated show of the year, also receiving 12 Outer Critics’ Circle Award Nominations, 5 Drama Desk Award Nominations, 4 Drama Leage Award Nominations, and 2 Chita Rivera Award Nominations.
Madeline Ashton is the most beautiful actress (just ask her) ever to grace the stage and screen. Helen Sharp is the long-suffering author (just ask her) who lives in her shadow. They have always been the best of frenemies… until Madeline steals Helen’s fiancé away. As Helen plots revenge and Madeline clings to her rapidly fading star, their world is suddenly turned upside down by Viola Van Horn, a mysterious woman with a secret that’s to die for. After one sip of Viola’s magical potion, Madeline and Helen begin a new era of life (and death) with their youth and beauty restored…and a grudge to last eternity. Life’s a bitch and then you die. Or not!
Death Becomes Her features direction and choreography by Tony Award winner Christopher Gattelli, a book by Marco Pennette, and an original score by Julia Mattison and Noel Carey, and stars Tony Award nominees Megan Hilty (Madeline Ashton), Jennifer Simard (Helen Sharp), Christopher Sieber (Ernest Menville), and Grammy® Award winner Michelle Williams (Violet Van Horn) with Taurean Everett (Chagall) and Josh Lamon (Stefan). The cast also features Marija Abney, Lauren Celentano, Sarita Colon, Kaleigh Cronin, Natalie Charle Ellis, Michael Graceffa, Neil Haskell, Kolton Krouse, Sarah Meahl, Dee Roscioli, Ximone Rose, Sir Brock Warren, Bud Weber, Ryan Worsing, Warren Yang, Kyle Brown, Lakota Knuckle, Johanna Moise, Amy Quanbeck.
