The Tony®-Winning Hit Musical Comedy
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.
Now a warning! You may not be ready for the unbelievable amount of comedy, glamour, and magic onstage at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. Death Becomes Her is a “wildly entertaining, perfect musical comedy. It grabs the audience by the jugular and doesn’t let go” (Deadline). With direction and choreography by Tony winner Christopher Gattelli, Death Becomes Her is “a laugh-filled, tuneful musical to die for” (Variety) and “a cheek-aching laughter roller coaster — the most fun night out on Broadway!” (The Daily Beast). Experience the “savagely funny” (Time Out) pop-culture phenomenon that’s been certified “hilarious” by The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, Z100, Beyoncé (!!), Goldie Hawn, Superman aka David Corenswet, Michelle Williams (the other one), and countless fans on Instagram, TikTok, and beyond. See it now, and laugh for eternity.
It’s hard to follow the film's leading ladies Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn, but if anyone is up for it, it’s Megan Hilty and Jennifer Simard. Hilty bursts with star power as the glamorous and self-indulged actress Madeline Ashton, and Simard’s dry delivery is hilarious in author Helen Sharp’s meeker getup — and even better after she transforms into a femme fatale to show up Ashton. Christopher Sieber is the perfectly bumbling plastic surgeon Ernest Menville, who can’t get a song in edgewise when Madeline and Helen are at their finest - though he manages to sneak away for a ludicrously funny song of his own in one of the campiest scenes of the show. Michelle Williams, a Broadway veteran and former Destiny’s Child member, opens the show and is ever-present as the otherworldly Viola van Horn (based on Lisle von Rhuman from the film). Aloof in contrast to the hotheadedness of the main characters, with a voice to bring the house down, she is a fitting choice for a character offering eternal youth.
Everything in the musical is fantastically bigger and bolder, from Derek McLane’s goth-meets-Hollywood-excess design to Paul Tazewell’s fabulous costumes to Doug Besterman’s lush orchestrations. Charles LaPointe’s wigs are terrific, too. The tuneful score and witty lyrics are by Julia Mattison and Noel Carey, making an impressive Broadway bow.
| 2024 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
| 2026 | US Tour |
US Tour |
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Book of a Musical | Marco Pennette |
| 2025 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Costume Design of a Mus | Paul Tazewell |
| 2025 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical | Jennifer Simard |
| 2025 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Wig and Hair Design | Charles G. LaPointe |
| 2025 | Drama League Awards | DISTINGUISHED PERFORMANCE | Jennifer Simard |
| 2025 | Drama League Awards | DISTINGUISHED PERFORMANCE | Megan Hilty |
| 2025 | Drama League Awards | OUTSTANDING DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL | Christopher Gattelli |
| 2025 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Book of a Musical (Broadway or Off-Broadway) | Marco Pennette |
| 2025 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Choreography | Christopher Gattelli |
| 2025 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Costume Design | Paul Tazewell |
| 2025 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Direction of a Musical | Christopher Gattelli |
| 2025 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Musical | Christopher Sieber |
| 2025 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway Musical | Jennifer Simard |
| 2025 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Lighting Design | Justin Townsend |
| 2025 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding New Broadway Musical | Death Becomes Her |
| 2025 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Orchestrations (Broadway or Off-Broadway) | Doug Besterman |
| 2025 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Scenic Design | Derek McLane |
| 2025 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Score (Broadway or Off-Broadway) | Noel Carey |
| 2025 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Score (Broadway or Off-Broadway) | Julia Mattison |
| 2025 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Sound Design | Peter Hylenski |
| 2025 | Tony Awards | Best Book of a Musical | Marco Pennette |
| 2025 | Tony Awards | Best Choreography | Christopher Gattelli |
| 2025 | Tony Awards | Best Costume Design of a Musical | Paul Tazewell |
| 2025 | Tony Awards | Best Direction of a Musical | Christopher Gattelli |
| 2025 | Tony Awards | Best Lighting Design of a Musical | Justin Townsend |
| 2025 | Tony Awards | BEST ORIGINAL SCORE (Music and/or Lyrics) | Julia Mattison |
| 2025 | Tony Awards | BEST ORIGINAL SCORE (Music and/or Lyrics) | Noel Carey |
| 2025 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical | Megan Hilty |
| 2025 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical | Jennifer Simard |
| 2025 | Tony Awards | Best Scenic Design of a Musical | Derek McLane |
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