Hilty & Simard to lead DEATH BECOMES HER in Chicago spring 2024; Broadway in the fall — Page 14

I wrote almost the exact same things in the survey they sent out. The current walk off ending just seems so anti-climactic.

as far as Elvis goes...does it really matter? could it be someone in the ensemble playing him, that they themself, do not have an elvis body type? or could it also read more into the "now a warning" be good to your body, maybe for the stage they were going for different route that Elvis took the potion years before he even gained weight, or took it even after he gained weight, lost it but still gained weight back, since with the potion you only get to have it once , so he just took it too soon or after since he in the show is still alive so why would it matter? Lol

Updated On: 5/9/24 at 10:35 PM

Awww dammit, the day AFTER i leave! Lol

Are Simard and Sieber coming out the stage door to sign? I’d love to get them to sign my company playbill.

nasty_khakis said: ""The numberbegins soon after Helen returns with her smoking hole."

They definitely should make that line merch."

I'd buy a shirt that says "Stop looking at my hole, pervert."

Updated On: 5/10/24 at 12:17 AM

I've only entered a few times now, but I thought this would be an easy lottery to win.

The Potion had a new initial entrance Friday night - rising from the orchestra pit.

Madeline's line about receiving a bread maker was cut.

Originally, near the end of Act 1, there were two Ensemble men helping to inflate Madeline's breasts after she sampled the potion. You would see the two men at the base of Madeline's feet, manipulating a mostly hidden contraption, pumping up Madeline's headliners, through a full size, vertical mirror.

The mirror is still used in the short scene, but the two Ensemble have been removed. Lightning flashes across the curtains. Viola has been added - in a very good way - and the mirror visual is more dramatic.

In Act 2, a crossbow has been added to HIT ME LIKE YOU MEAN IT.

And a wedding sponsor update: On Thursday, "Capital One, What's in Your Wallet, then Friday "Charmin. Enjoy the Go."

It’s likely just imaginary coincidences, but I like the brief nods to other Broadway tales.

The opening stanzas of the waltz entering Viola’s ball may pay tribute to West Side Story’s DANCE AT THE GYM.

Are the “I can’t” and “you cans” ahead of LET’S RUN AWAY TOGETHER mirroring Annie Get Your Gun’s ANYTHING YOU CAN DO I CAN DO BETTER?

When Helen and Madeline belt ALIVE FOREVER, I sense a moment of I WOULD NEVER LEAVE YOU from Sideshow.

At Saturday’s matinee, in THIS WAS THEN, THIS WAS NOW, the ball capped Ensemble man who placed his arms around Helen has been removed from the scene. Ernest takes his rightful place.

Later, in Viola’s mansion, Madeline and Helen carry a bundled Ernest across the stage in a white sheet.

OLIVE GARDEN - When you’re here, you’re family - sponsored the afternoon wedding.

Updated On: 5/11/24 at 06:33 PM

BalconyClub said: "It’s likely justimaginarycoincidences, but I like thebrief nods to other Broadway tales.

The opening stanzas of the waltz entering Viola’s ball may pay tribute to West Side Story’sDANCE AT THE GYM.

Are the “I can’t” and “you cans” ahead ofLET’S RUN AWAY TOGETHERmirroring Annie Get Your Gun’s ANYTHING YOU CAN DO I CAN DO BETTER?

When Helen and Madeline belt ALIVE FOREVER, I sensea moment of I WOULD NEVER LEAVE YOU from Sideshow.

At Saturday’s matinee, in THIS WAS THEN, THIS WAS NOW, the ball capped Ensembleman who placedhis arms around Helen has been removed from the scene. Ernest takes his rightful place.

Later, inViola’s mansion, Madeline and Helen carry a bundled Ernest across the stage in a white sheet.

OLIVE GARDEN - When you’re here, you’re family- sponsored the afternoon wedding."


Are you literally watching this every single day?

These updates also validate that the creative team is truly putting in the work to make the show better. These daily additions take hours to create and implement so the cast and crew is truly putting in the hours and hard work as the new additions need to be rehearsed and teched. They definitely are still working on things as the audience is starting to get to into their seats. I’m sure the cast and crew is already at the theatre at 9am each morning to start learning that day’s new additions and changes.

I saw the show on Thursday night and enjoyed it for the most part. The show has a very strong book and the lyrics are often quite funny. The actual music is less successful, imo. Ernest's big number in Act Two gave me "Music Man"/Harold Hill patter song vibes, and as good as Seiber is, the song was a let down for me. (The puppet props in the scene also didn't really make any sense to me as well). The "For the Gaze" number and the final duet between the female leads are the two best numbers of the evening right now.

The first act is stronger, but I actually liked that they changed the final scene in the cemetery, as compared to the film (which didn't really work for me) and how it ties how "Mad" and "Hel" realize they have always been, in their own insecurities, more similar than dissimilar through all their ups and down.



Hilty and Simard seem to be having the time of their lives; Sieber cannily let's the ladies camp it up and then seizes his big moments with scene stealing stealth. Sadly, Michelle Williams (while looking glamourous and having a pleasing voice) is, quite frankly, the biggest downfall of the show. I was honestly shocked at how anemic her performance was; this is a character who, let's face it, is as self delusional as Madeline and Helen and needs to command the stage in the short time she's there at the center of it; instead we are getting a community theater level acting turn in a Broadway bound production. And I concur that Josh Lamon's character needs to be written into the second act of the show, even if briefly, rather than just abruptly vanish.

I also didn't love some of the costuming in the show. William's opening outfit is a sparkly concoction that she can't move in. Hilty and Simard are in stiff gowns in the second act which make no sense and are from some totally other era, in addition to make the characters seem not only older (after they've taken this youthful potion!) but heavier. Terrible fabric choices.

All in all, though, I found more to enjoy about the show than MANY of the recent movie to musical adaptions we've encountered recently. It's vastly superior to shows like "Mrs. Doubtfire" and "Pretty Woman" and "Tootsie" already; hopefully they can continue to work on the show's kinks before heading to New York. As it is, it's currently more of an entertaining than great night at the theatre.

One quick addendum: the night I saw the show they had "open captioning" which I loved when I missed a few words in the overlapping lyrics, or couldn't hear something due to laughter. I've never seen those at a show before; not sure if that was just for that evening's performance, but I truly appreciated it.

And now I have to go wash my mouth out with soap for suggesting someone watch a Kardashian for acting inspiration. Lol.

Having watched, and enjoyed, AMERICAN HORROR STORY: DELICATE, I can agree with your assessment of Kim Kardashian’s acting work, which was quite impressive. Her deadpan approach suited that character and that emotional disconnect would definitely create a mysterious aura to Viola. Rossellini played it that way in the film.