“Death Becomes Her” a fountain of youth for Cadillac, stars “Smash,” Destiny’s Child alums
The film edition of “Death Becomes Her” made considerable waves at the movies throughout the early 1990s, but has since become a cult classic comedy, particularly within the LGBT community where it’s become a staple of Pride Month and a regular source of inspiration on “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”
It’s also shaping up to be one of the most fun, funny and fabulous new musicals following the Pre-Broadway World Premiere at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, where it remains through Sunday, June 2 before moving to the Big Apple this fall.
In the meantime, “Death Becomes Her” boasts an all-star cast, including Megan Hilty (“Wicked,” “Smash”) as beautiful but aging actress Madeline Ashton, Jennifer Simard (“Company,” “Disaster!”) as frenemy/struggling writer Helen Sharp, Christopher Sieber (“Spamalot,” “Company”) as their shared loved interest/plastic surgeon Ernest Menville and Illinois’ own Grammy-winner, author and “Survivor” Michelle Williams (Destiny’s Child, “Chicago”) as Viola Van Horn, who possesses a potion to unlock the fountain of youth.
Viola actually gets the story started, accompanied by a “Bootylicious” dance troupe in a concert-like setting, as she explains what it takes “If You Want Perfection,” followed by Madeline and an adoring entourage turning in some serious razzle-dazzle during a variety show of her own, especially as she impersonates the iconic likes of Judy Garland and Liza Minelli with a loving wink in the cleverly-titled “For The Gaze.”
From there, Helen and her fiancé Ernest head backstage as the women trade backhanded compliments and thinly-veiled insults, then make dinner plans where they wind up duking it out over the sole man amongst them.
Perhaps it’s no surprise the self-centered Viola comes up victorious, but Helen has a shocking trick up her sleeve to have everyone’s heads spinning and send her supposed bestie desperately searching for a way to stop the clock.
Enter Viola and a magical solution, but one that comes with fairly hefty “Bills, Bills, Bills” and an irreversible devil-like deal, eventually resulting in each leading lady camping up the competition and reaching “Dynasty”-level drama of deathly proportions.
As much as the laughs continue to flow down the central staircase (where Madeline’s falling scene deserves as many awards as possible), there’s just as much wisdom to gain in their lives after death, which are perhaps even more relevant now than when this was originally in theaters as the quest for youth and beauty only increased in the internet age.
Audiences are likely to discover eternity on earth isn’t all its cracked up to be, but at least the ladies of “Death Becomes Her” have forever to it figure out what went wrong and maybe even make amends to those they hurt along the way.
“Death Becomes Her” continues at the Cadillac Palace Theatre through Sunday, June 2. For additional details, visit DeathBecomesHer.com and BroadwayInChicago.com.