Death Becomes Her gets musical revamp
The 1992 film is back!
Last updated 12th Sep 2023
The 1992 Oscar Award winning film Death Becomes Her is back! with a stage musical adaptation on its way! The musical will get its world premiere next spring at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago with hopes for a run on Broadway in the near future - and we're already crossing our fingers for a West End Transfer!
Directed by Robert Zemeckis the film follows Madeline Ashton (Meryl Streep) a renowned actress who has the 'perfect life' and her jealous friend Helen Sharp (Goldie Hawn). The friends both end up taking a 'miracle potion' which allows you to live forever, however not all is as it seems...
The film was a huge success when released with it winning an Oscar for Best Visual Effects, a BAFTA for special effects and even Meryl Streep being nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture.
The musical will Star Tony Award nominees Megan Hilty (Wicked, Smash) and Jennifer Simard (Company, Disaster!) the musical is set to tell the same story of the 1992 film.
The Death Becomes Her musical was announced with a teaser for the potion itself, advertised as a beauty product which is 'revitalizing, immortalizing' along with a clip of both Megan Hilty and Jennifer Simard showcasing both characters.
The Death Becomes Her The Musical will be directed and choreographed by Christopher Gattelli, with music and lyrics by Julia Mattison and Noel Carey. It’s set to premiere at Chicago’s Cadillac Palace Theatre on April 30th till June 2nd 2024.
To keep up with updates on the musical you can visit the Death Becomes Her website.
Have a look at more films that have been made into musicals:
Billy Elliot
Billy Elliot arrived in cinemas in 2000 telling the story of a boy from County Durham who took up ballet lessons. The film is set around the backdrop of the miners' strike of 1984-85. In 2005 the musical version opened at the Victoria Palace with music by Elton John and book and lyrics by Lee Hall (who also went on to pen the screenplay to Elton's biopic, Rocketman).
The musical was a huge success and ran in the West End for just over a decade closing in 2016 ahead of a refurbishment of the theatre which would then welcome Hamilton as its next resident. The musical was broadcast live across cinemas in 2014 and during this period had our very own Ruthie Henshall as Billy's teacher Mrs. Wilkinson.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
While Chitty Chitty Bang Bang may feel like it was always designed for the stage, we had to wait a while for technology to catch up before we saw our fine four fendered friend up on the stage. The 1968 film was based on the book by Bond writer Ian Fleming which starred Dick Van Dyke as Caractacus Potts. However, the story wasn't put on the stage until 2002 where it opened at the London Palladium starring Michael Ball as Caractacus, Emma Williams as Truly Scrumptious and Carrie Hope Fletcher as Jemima.
The musical version included the songs from the original including 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang', 'Hushabye Mountain' and 'Me Ol' Bamboo'. The film's original composers, the Sherman Brothers (also known for Mary Poppins) composed six new songs for the stage adaptation.
Grey Gardens
Grey Gardens is one of the few musicals that is based on a documentary. The 1975 film showed the lives of Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale (Big Edie) and her daughter Edith Bouvier Beale (Little Edie), they were related to First Lady Jackie Kennedy but found themselves in an isolated life in a decaying mansion overrun with cats in their later life.
The first act is a fictional imagining of what the mother and daughter's lives may have been like in the 1940s as rich aristocrats living lives of luxury. The second act jumps to 1975 with the actress who played Big Edie in Act I switching over to play Little Edie in Act II. This part of the musical is based on the content of the documentary pulling lines directly from the source material.
Hairspray
Hairspray has been a huge hit since it first opened on Broadway in 2002 packed with comedy and feel-good songs. The show is based on the 1988 film of the same name which was written, directed and produced by John Waters, and starred Ricki Lake as Tracy Turnblad and the legendary drag queen Divine as Tracy's mother, Edna.
The musical has plenty of feel-good songs including 'Good Morning Baltimore' and 'You Can't Stop the Beat' and of course the powerful 'I Know Where I've Been'. The musical adaptation was successful enough that it was then itself adapted into a movie musical in 2007!
Heathers
Before the Mean Girls came along, the Heathers were terrorising the hallways. The 1989 film has a cult following and is considered one of the greatest coming of age films of all time so it's no surprise that Heathers eventually got the musical theatre treatment.
The musical quickly became a fan favourite with plenty of us listening to the Broadway cast recording on repeat when it was released and jumping for joy when the Heathers arrived in the West End. The show proved to be popular here having run on the West End twice already as well as getting a UK tour.
Kinky Boots
Set in a shoe factory in Northampton, Kinky Boots is a story about celebrating difference and accepting each other. The show's book was written by Harvey Fierstein with songs by Cyndi Lauper after opening on Broadway in 2012 it wasn't long until the musical hit the West End with the show opening at the Adelphi theatre in 2015.
Legally Blonde
How do you improve on the iconic film that is Legally Blonde? Why, add some amazing songs to it that's how! Legally Blonde has been a hit among theatre fans since it opened in 2007 with its campy up-beat songs such as 'Omigod You Guys', 'Positive', 'So Much Better' and 'Legally Blonde'.
The show made it to the West End in 2009 with Sheridan Smith in the lead as Elle Woods. It's since toured the UK twice with Faye Brookes and Lucie Jones in the leading role respectively.
Pretty Woman
The iconic 1990 Julia Roberts film is one of the more recent films to get the musical theatre treatment. Pretty Woman: The Musical premiered in Chicago in 2018 and transferred to Broadway a few months later where it ran for a year.
The show opened on the West End in early 2020 but closed after a month because of the COVID-19 pandemic - however as theatres returned, they opened back up in their new home at the Savoy Theatre.
Little Shop of Horrors
This was another cult classic that went from film to stage, to film again. The first version of Little Shop of Horrors was a black and white B movie which was released in 1960. The musical adaptation came out in 1982 with music and lyrics by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman – the pair who went on to pen music for some Disney greats including The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast.
The show's score includes the songs 'Skid Row (Downtown)', 'Somewhere That's Green' and 'Suddenly Seymour'. The musical was quickly adapted into a movie musical in 1986 and there are plans for another film with Billy Porter in the role of Audrey II.
Singin' in the Rain
With how well this story adapts to the stage we wouldn't be surprised if people thought the stage version of Singin' in the Rain came first. However, the beloved 1952 Gene Kelly film didn't make it to the stage until 1983 when it opened at the London Palladium with Tommy Steele as Don Lockwood.
The stage version has come with plenty of amendments throughout its various revivals but still includes the songs we all love including 'Fit as a Fiddle', 'Good Mornin'', 'Would You' and of course, 'Singin' in the Rain'.
Waitress
Sugar, butter, flour. Waitress the musical has captured our hearts as we learn about what baking can do. The story is based on the 2007 film written by Adrienne Shelly who also directed and starred in the film. Sadly, Adrienne didn't live to see the film's release where it received positive reviews.
The stage adaptation has a book by Jessie Nelson and music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles. Sara has also starred in the leading role both on Broadway and the West End. The show has gone on to become a fan favourite with it making a return to Broadway and heading on a UK & Ireland tour.
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