For Those With Two and a Half Hours To Spare and Who Don’t Want To Stream the Film, the Musical ‘Death Becomes Her’ May Be for You
As is so often the case with projects like this, the score seems like so much filler. The songs suggest whipped cream layered on or between plot developments. They can be fun but add little to the cake, and ultimately make the show feel bloated.
Just goes to show how subjective it all is. DTLI and BroadwayWorld both thought Green's review was mixed like I did, but DTLI has the NY Post review as mixed, while BW and I both thought it was positive.
"Especially after the inventive first scenes, the show is a bit like that too: It keeps going despite being disconnected. At some point, even though I knew it well, I lost the thread of the story and found myself waiting for the musical numbers. Even then, the more-is-more physical production eventually started to cloy (purple sets by Derek McLane, saturated lighting by Justin Townsend, congested sound by Peter Hylenski), and a feeling of overfamiliarity set in as each new sororal torture was hymned.
Still, Hilty and Simard are tireless, forever pulling vocal drama and line-reading surprises out of their Swarovski-encrusted imaginations. You do not think too often, and probably not as much as you should, about the unfortunate tradition of catfights in Broadway musicals. (Listen to“Bosom Buddies” from “Mame”and“There’s Always a Woman” from “Anyone Can Whistle.”) In any case, by the finale — a smart wrap-up equivocally called “The End” — the spicy enmity between Madeline and Helen has long since cooked down to companionate carping. Tending their empty graves, they finally have a common enemy: their own immortality.""
After the pretty decent reviews it's odd to me nothing has been mentioned about the show in over 24 hours. I thought it was okay but I am one and done on the show.
"I hope your Fanny is bigger than my Peter."
Mary Martin to Ezio Pinza opening night of Fanny.
Not that surprising. Gypsy has sucked up all the air/discussion since Thursday. There was already less discussion of the reviews Thursday night than there often is since everyone was focused on that.
MemorableUserName said: "Not that surprising. Gypsy has sucked up all the air/discussion since Thursday. There was already less discussion of the reviews Thursday night than there often is since everyone was focused on that."
Add the Wicked movie press/marketing avalanche and there's really no oxygen left.
Death Becomes Her still has pretty soft sales for a very expensive show. It will be interesting to watch.
At my AMC screening of Wicked on Thursday, Death Becomes Her had the final trailer before the film started. Likely a studio mandate or an addition to the DCP, but I've never seen this for a Broadway show before. The power of Universal.
ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "At my AMC screening of Wicked on Thursday, Death Becomes Her had the final trailer before the film started. Likely a studio mandate or an addition to the DCP, but I've never seen this for a Broadway show before. The power of Universal."
At my screening last night, that ad got a bigger reaction than any other trailer or pre-show video (other than Nicole Kidman, naturally).
"...everyone finally shut up, and the audience could enjoy the beginning of the Anatevka Pogram in peace."
DaveyG said: "MemorableUserName said: "Not that surprising. Gypsy has sucked up all the air/discussion since Thursday. There was already less discussion of the reviews Thursday night than there often is since everyone was focused on that."
Add the Wicked movie press/marketing avalanche and there's really no oxygen left.
Death Becomes Her still has pretty soft sales for a very expensive show. It will be interesting to watch."
I believe it was in the top 10 of Broadway grosses last week pre opening so I wouldn’t call that soft sales before reviews.
itsahopi said: "DaveyG said: "MemorableUserName said: "Not that surprising. Gypsy has sucked up all the air/discussion since Thursday. There was already less discussion of the reviews Thursday night than there often is since everyone was focused on that."
Add the Wicked movie press/marketing avalanche and there's really no oxygen left.
Death Becomes Her still has pretty soft sales for a very expensive show. It will be interesting to watch."
I believe it was in the top 10 of Broadway grosses last week pre opening so I wouldn’t call that soft sales before reviews."
I was talking about future sales, not pre-opening. Look at Thanksgiving weekend and Christmas weekend. Those performances should be the easiest to fill and they're not even remotely close.
DaveyG said: "itsahopi said: "DaveyG said: "MemorableUserName said: "Not that surprising. Gypsy has sucked up all the air/discussion since Thursday. There was already less discussion of the reviews Thursday night than there often is since everyone was focused on that."
Add the Wicked movie press/marketing avalanche and there's really no oxygen left.
Death Becomes Her still has pretty soft sales for a very expensive show. It will be interesting to watch."
I believe it was in the top 10 of Broadway grosses last week pre opening so I wouldn’t call that soft sales before reviews."
I was talking about future sales, not pre-opening. Look at Thanksgiving weekend and Christmas weekend. Those performances should be the easiest to fill and they're not even remotely close."
Got it. I guess we can reconvene after the grosses for both those weeks are posted.
Attended last night (Friday, Nov 22), and thought it was amusing entertainment with powerhouse lead performances and impressive production values. However, I had some difficulty with the sound from my orchestra seat G-1 despite using the listening device. I had the impression they cranked up the reverb for Ms. Williams, which made it hard to understand all of her lyrics and lines. It was impossible to understand what the ensemble was singing during her numbers.
The two other female leads often belted into the stratosphere, which made some of their lyrics unintelligible. My companion, who has excellent hearing, agreed that a lot of the lines and lyrics in the show were lost.
questions: was the line about the WICKED film an ad lib? What was the line the priest says at the cemetery? It got a laugh but I don’t remember it.
The playbill lists, among others, the names of 11 dressers. The show’s weekly nut must be huge. With a reported $32 million capitalization (I read that number somewhere) in a 1400 seat theater, even if it sells out how long is it estimated to take until it recoups?
What a surprise! I didn’t know what to expect from Death Becomes Her, but it turned out to be a laugh-out-loud good time. The chemistry between the two leads was fantastic—so much playful banter and hilarious moments. Honestly, I enjoyed it more than the movie. It was a riot, and I appreciated how much fun it was to just sit back and enjoy the show. If you’re looking for a lighthearted, fun night at the theater, this is definitely worth seeing.
Anyone know who the doubles for Madeline and Helen are throughout the show? I know Warren Yang does the fall down the stairs and the fight in act two; and I am pretty sure it's Neil Haskell doubling for Helen in the fight; does anyone know who does the Liza dance in "for the gaze" and the transformation sequence? I thnkit's Kaleigh Cronin both times but I'm not entirely sure? Can anyone correct me if I'm incorrect?