DEATH BECOMES HER Reviews - Page 2

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 11/21/24 at 9:26pm

NY Sun

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.

https://www.nysun.com/article/for-those-with-two-and-a-half-hours-to-spare-and-who-dont-want-to-stream-the-film-the-musical-death-becomes-her-may-be-for-you

 

[pablitonizer]

Posted: 11/21/24 at 9:39pm

New York Theatre Guide

'Death Becomes Her' review — cult-favorite movie gets a fabulous musical facelift

 

https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/reviews/death-becomes-her-broadway-review

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 11/21/24 at 9:43pm

DTLI Consensus: Death Becomes Her revitalizes the musical comedy genre, and is largely driven by a pair of lead performances to die for.

10 positive, 3 mixed (including the NYT), 1 negative. 

https://didtheylikeit.com/shows/death-becomes-her/

Updated On: 11/21/24 at 09:43 PM

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 11/21/24 at 10:12pm

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. 

[MadsonMelo]

Posted: 11/21/24 at 11:40pm

Loved loved these reviews, worth a nom for Best Musical if they can sustain good grosses during the winter.

[MezzA101]

Posted: 11/22/24 at 6:47am

MemorableUserName said: "Green in NYT is mixed. Positive on the stars, not the show

Review: In ‘Death Becomes Her,’ Spiking the Fountain of Youth

Hilarious star turns from Megan Hilty and Jennifer Simard make the mostly unfunny 1992 film into an intermittently memorable Broadway musical.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/21/theater/death-becomes-her-review-hilty-simard.html

"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.""

Gift link

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/21/theater/death-becomes-her-review-hilty-simard.html?unlocked_article_code=1.b04.phsW.50MZng-fg5ik

 

 

 

[Huss417]

Posted: 11/23/24 at 10:25am

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.

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 11/23/24 at 11:02am

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.

[DaveyG]

Posted: 11/23/24 at 12:42pm

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. 

Updated On: 11/23/24 at 12:42 PM

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 11/23/24 at 12:50pm

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.

[Kad]

Posted: 11/23/24 at 12:53pm

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).

[itsahopi]

Posted: 11/23/24 at 1:27pm

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.

[DaveyG]

Posted: 11/23/24 at 1:56pm

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. 

[itsahopi]

Posted: 11/23/24 at 2:40pm

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.

[seeseveryshow2]

Posted: 11/24/24 at 12:18am

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? 

 


 

[inception]

Posted: 11/24/24 at 11:45am

Hollywood Reporter: Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland Support Michelle Williams at ‘Death Becomes Her’ Opening Night on Broadway

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 11/24/24 at 7:12pm

Ximone Rose debuted as Viola today.

Updated On: 11/24/24 at 07:12 PM

[mshalo18]

Posted: 11/24/24 at 9:07pm

TheatreFan4 said: "Ximone Rose debuted as Viola today."

She was fabulous! I would have never known this her first time in the role.

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 11/24/24 at 9:48pm

TheatreFan4 said: "Ximone Rose debuted as Viola today."

Congrats! A true standout in LEMPICKA and I wish I could’ve gotten to see their Rafaela. 

Updated On: 11/24/24 at 09:48 PM

[justherehanging]

Posted: 11/25/24 at 7:31am

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.

[ChairinMain]

Posted: 11/27/24 at 7:34pm

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?

Updated On: 11/27/24 at 07:34 PM

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 12/11/24 at 9:35pm

Went back tonight and, now having seen McDonald and Scherzinger, Hilty's and Simard's performances really struck me as being far superior. It's a shame comedy is undervalued compared to drama, because what they are both doing on that stage is truly impressive. So fresh. So funny. So alive. So multi-faceted. (And both are doing a better job at fully embodying the characters than Scherzinger is.) I wish either of them would take the Tony.

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 12/11/24 at 9:40pm

DaveyG said: "itsahopi said: "DaveyG said: 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."

Well, we have more numbers now. They had no trouble filling that Thanksgiving weekend, and other than a small dip opening week (understandable with opening night), the numbers have just been going up.

[berniesb!tch]

Posted: 12/11/24 at 9:58pm

MemorableUserName said: "Went back tonight and, nowhaving seen McDonald and Scherzinger, Hilty's and Simard's performances really struck me as being far superior. It's a shame comedy is undervalued compared to drama, because what they are both doing on that stage is truly impressive. So fresh. So funny. So alive. So multi-faceted. (And both are doing a better job at fully embodying the characters than Scherzinger is.) I wish either of them would take the Tony."

 

So in general I like very VERY much agree with you (especially with film and television) but I feel like the theatre community pretty constantly awards and adores comedic performances with the same level of respect as dramatic ones  

 

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 12/12/24 at 9:20am

The company will perform from the musical on The Kelly Clarkson Show this afternoon.