Saw this last week: this show leans unapologetically into its sharp humor and campy energy, and honestly, I had a blast.
What's stood out to me is how the book embraces its "nastiness." Zinger after biting zinger gets lobbed without feeling overly repetitive (even though, yes, most of the insults are about looks and age). I found it refreshing that the show wasn’t afraid to fully lean into how cruel these characters could be. It reminded me of how Mean Girls on Broadway had some of its sharper edges softened, but this? The claws were out.
What really works about this production is how confidently it knows its identity. It’s not trying to be anything more than an entertaining spectacle—and it succeeds, solidly. The one-liners are razor-sharp, the special effects are impressive, and the camp factor is dialed up to 11. The use of body doubles was so hilariously blatant; down to the production doing absolutely nothing to hide that one of the doubles was a man. I’m here for it. I appreciated that only the end ending ever so slightly veers towards sentimentality, and that's only very briefly and clearly exclusively as a means to tie up loose ends.
Christopher Sieber deserves some kudos for taking what is still a pretty bland role and still finding a way to imbue it with neurosis and humor. In lesser hands, the character could have been completely forgettable. I’ll admit, when his solo started, I thought I’d mentally check out, but by the end, I was chuckling and admiring his choices. As for Michelle Williams, I think she worked just fine. Could someone else have made a bigger meal out of the role? Sure. But her cold diva energy fit well enough, and the audience ate her up. Her low-energy stage cross during the big chase scene while everyone else is running wild? Go on girl, give us nothing. Iconic.
The music is fun, but beyond the opening song, none of the tunes really stuck with me, and the one that did only did because it was repeated several times.And as for that big power duet at the end, I couldn’t understand a word that Simard and Hilty were singing, but honestly, it didn’t matter. They were both fantastic overall, but I’m especially thrilled to see Jennifer Simard shine in a role like this. Her humor is so creative and fresh and a privilege to wash.
In the end, I’m happy this show is on Broadway. Is it high art? Nope. Not every show needs to be the deepest, most profound piece of theatre. Sometimes, it’s enough to be fun, well-executed, and worth the ticket price. Unlike other ‘90s movie adaptations that felt like they were just there, Death Becomes Her adds value. It’s made to entertain, and it succeeds beautifully.
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