THEATRE REVIEW: "Death Becomes Her" at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre (New York, NY)

     On the afternoon of Sunday, October 26th, 2025, I saw a performance of the musical comedy "Death Becomes Her" at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in New York City.  This show is based on the 1992 motion picture directed by Robert Zemeckis.  "Death Becomes Her" tells the story of two life-long frenemies whose feud continues after death...so to speak.  It also deals with the promise of immortality... and the sacrifices one makes to attain it.  While impossible in real life, it is proven to come with strings-attached in the musical, and becomes a living hell by the time the show reaches its conclusion.  With that being said, the show was fantastic.  

      At the performance of "Death Becomes Her" that I saw, the cast included Michelle Williams (Viola Van Horn), Natalie Charle Ellis (Helen Sharp), Megan Hilty (Madeline Ashton), Ryan Worsing (Ernest Menville), Chagall (Taurean Everett), Josh Lamon (Stefan), Bud Weber (TV Announcer/Luciano/Doctor), Sir Brock Warren (Minister), Marija Abney (Counselor), Lakota Knuckle (Director), Amy Quanbeck (Stacey), Alexa De Barr (Woman #1), Ximone Rose (Man #2/Nurse #2), Michael Graceffa (Chance), Warren Yang (The Fall), Alex Hartman (Nurse #1), Johanna Moise (Silks Dance), Neil Haskell (Priest), and Bethany Ann Tesarck (Sarah).  It was neat seeing Michelle Williams and Megan Hilty perform the roles they originated on Broadway, and in the World Premiere prior to that.  But the entire cast was terrific.  With many shows with megamusical set designs, the actors often have to compete with the scenery to wow the audience.  Both aspects combined to make one helluva' show.  

     Speaking of set design for "Death Becomes Her," that credit goes to Derek McLane.  His set design was jaw-dropping, to say the least.  It was most likely why the production of "Death Becomes Her" had a total cost of $31.5 million (though special effects and costumes weren't cheap either).  Also, the Pre-Broadway World Premiere Engagement of "Death Becomes Her," in Chicago, cost $4 million of the total.  It all added up, yet I'm thrilled to have gotten to see the finished product.  I think the set design was inspired by the original production of "Sunset Boulevard," which was the work of John Napier.  That was probably why "Sunset Boulevard" was referenced in jest during the show.  

     Elements of the film "Death Becomes Her" were interspersed throughout the show.  A lot of changes were made to the story for its transition from screen to stage.  Yet, here and there, I recognized something from the movie.  For instance, at the beginning of the movie, Madeline Ashton was starring in an ill-fated Broadway musical called "Songbird."  In the musical, one scene took place at a restaurant called "Cafe Songbird."  There were added characters to the musical, including Stefan--a character who was musically trained at Juliard, yet ended up being Madeline Ashton's maid.

     My seat (which I won via the ticket lottery) was in the fourth row of the orchestra level.  It was off to the side, and technically in the "limited view" category.  Yet I saw just about the entire show.  Ive had great viewing experiences with limited view seating.  When I saw the National Tour of "Hadestown" at few years ago, part of my view was obstructed by a tower of speakers, yet I still loved the performance so much that "Hadestown" still remains one of my favorite musicals.

     Besides the scenic design, what makes te stage production of "Death Becomes Her" so amazing are the instances where I couldn't believe my eyes.  By this, I mean when it looked like Madeline Ashton was actually falling down the stairs while shattering nearly every bone in her body; or when Helen Sharp appeared to have a gaping bullet wound in the middle of her stomach, into which you could see right through her.  The credit for this stagecraft goes to Tim Clothier, who was in charge of illusions.

     It was a lot of fun to see this show.  There are some shows I've seen where time seems to go by slowly, or when the play seems to drag a little bit.  But "Death Becomes Her" was constantly entertaining, albeit in different ways.  I would be glad to see this show again, but feel I don't really need to.  I hope there will be visually stunning shows like "Death Becomes Her" for a long time.  But, to quote from the musical "The Great Gatsby" (another megamusical), "none of this was built to last."  I hope I haven't bastardized the F. Scott Fitzgerald adaptation by applying that quote to the concept of a Broadway Blockbuster about eternal beauty and immortality.  Yet, in my opinion, it seems appropriate... in an inappropriate way.... much like "Death Becomes Her."