Death Becomes Her

 Death Becomes Her
Lunt-Fontainne Theatre
November 2, 2024 

Photo courtesy of Death Becomes Her

Death Becomes Her is a bold and brassy new Broadway musical, based on the 1992 movie of the same title.  The music and lyrics, by Julia Mattison and Noel Carey, are dazzling, energetic, and zestful.  The songs both drive the plot and offer an insightful look into the characters.  Marco Pennette’s book is crisp, campy, and full of one-liners that bring the house down.  Christopher Gattelli’s direction is fast paced, and his choreography is vigorous.  It keeps the audience fully engaged.  The cast is great, and the ensemble creates an atmosphere that allows the audience to joyfully buy into the magic and mystery of the storyline.

Helen Sharp (played by Jennifer Simard) introduces her life-long friend and two-time Academy Award nominated actress, Madeline Ashton (played by Megan Hilty), to her fiancé, Ernest Menville (played by Christopher Sieber).  At first, Madeline is not impressed.  She then finds out that Ernest is a plastic surgeon.  She immediately puts her hooks into him, and steals him from Helen.  This is the last straw for Helen, who has suffered from Madeline’s petty jealousies for decades.  She winds up in a mental hospital, and vows to seek revenge. 

Megan Hilty & Jennifer Simard
Photo courtesy of Death Becomes Her

Fast forward ten years.  Madeline’s career has gone downhill, and her marriage to Ernest is failing.  Meanwhile, Helen has published a new bestseller, looks fabulous, and is riding high on her success.  This sends Madeline into a downward spiral, until she meets Viola Van Horn (played by Michelle Williams), who sells her a potion that restores her youthful looks.  It does, however, come with a serious warning.

Megan Hilty and Jennifer Simard are amazing as Madeline and Helen.  Their characterizations are over the top.  Their comic timing is perfect, and their singing is spectacular.  The scene where Madeline falls down a flight of stairs is skillfully staged.  The biggest surprise is when she loses her head, literally.  Megan Hilty plays the next scene with her head on the bar cart.  It is hysterical… and highly effective.  Christopher Sieber plays Ernest with heart.  Both women use him for their selfish need, yet he never gives up on himself.  

Michelle Williams & the Ensemble
Photo courtesy of Death Becomes Her

Scenic design by Derek McLane is sumptuous.  The lighting by Justin Townsend is superb.  Paul Tazwell’s costumes are incredible and full of imagination.  There are a lot of very fast changes, both for costumes and sets.  Everything is seamless and brilliantly paced.  This creates a stunning glamour that, combined with the campy, over the top humor, gives this show an opulent style of its own.

Death Becomes Her is playing at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.  It is presently in preview, and officially opens on November 21.  Go see it! 

Domenick Danza

American Psycho, the Musical

American Psycho, the Musical

Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre

April 16, 2016

Photo Courtesy of
American Psycho, the Musical

The stark, white set of a New York apartment fills up with smoke.  We hear the rhythmic, steady pounding of a heartbeat.  The shadowy figures of a man and woman appear.  Blood splatters.  Blackout.  That is the first three minutes of AmericanPsycho, the Musical.  The tone is set.  The erotic and stylistic telling of this dark story has begun.  The production, under the brilliant direction of Rupert Goold, accurately evokes the mindset of New York City in 1989.  It is fast paced with a crispness and shine that reflects on present day values and convictions.

Benjamin Walker is captivating as Wall Street Banker, Patrick Bateman.  He skillfully carries the show with a calm demeanor, intense focus, and outstanding singing voice.  He creates a character that is real, flawed, apathetic, and identifiable.  Jennifer Damiano, who plays his secretary, Jean, lures us deeper into the dark side of this psychological tale with a sincere portrayal of naive obsession.  She catalyzes the character of Patrick Bateman, twisting the plot to an unexpected climax and resolution.

Benjamin Walker & the Ensemble
Photo courtesy of American Psycho, the Musical

The book, written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (based on the novel by Bret Easton Ellis), is masterfully conceived.  The first act overflows with innuendo that generates psychological insight into the characters.  The most outstanding scene is the dinner party in Act I where the spoken dialogue is clearly the inner thoughts of those in attendance.  They blatantly blurt out the words in their heads, which should never be spoken out loud.  The effectiveness of this scene lays the foundation for the framework on which he builds the remainder of the show.  

Benjamin Walker, Jennifer Damiano, & Alice Ripley
Photo courtesy of American Psycho, the Musical

The music and lyrics by Duncan Sheik are powerful.  Some songs create a mechanical and robotic atmosphere, while others reveal the inner workings of the minds of the characters.  His best songs are in Act II.  “At the End of the Island” is biting and witty.  “A Girl Before” is hauntingly engaging.  In the finale, “This is not the End,” the main character reveals his deepest fears.  The force that has driven the plot is brought to a conclusion, and the impactful theme of the show is clearly understood.

Photo courtesy of
American Psycho, the Musical

The design elements of the production (scenic design by Es Devlin, lighting design by Justin Townsend, sound design by Dan Moses Schreier, and video design by Finn Ross) tightly blend together to create a harsh and cold atmosphere that illuminates the static noise and conflict inside the head of the main character.  Combined with the ingenious choreography by Lynne Page, the show has a mesmerizing effect on the senses. 

American Psycho, the Musical is a stunning and masterful work of theatre. 

                                                                     Domenick Danza

The Humans

The Humans

Roundabout Theatre Company

The Helen Hayes Theatre

January 31, 2016

Photo courtesy of The Humans

The Roundabout Theatre Company’s production of The Humans has moved to Broadway’s Helen Hayes Theatre.  The script, written by Stephen Karam, is brilliantly crafted with strong dramatic action that keeps the audience riveted.  Director Joe Mantello directed a seamless ninety minutes of action that enthralls, entertains, and excites.  The cast of five naturalistically delve into the underlying issues that bubble beneath the surface of continuous holiday conversation.  They then boomerang back with understanding that tenderly defines the family network that the play so aptly and realistically portrays. 

Brigid (played by Sarah Steele) invites her family for Thanksgiving dinner.  She has just moved into a new apartment in lower Manhattan that she shares with her boyfriend, Richard (played by Arian Moayed).  Her mother, Deirdre (played by Jayne Houdyshell), is constantly dropping remarks about Brigid and Richard not being married.  Her father, Erik (played by Reed Birney), has been having trouble sleeping and shares one of his disturbing nightmares.  Her sister, Aimee (played by Cassie Beck), is suffering from gastric colitis, has recently broken up with her longtime partner, and is being let go from her law firm.  Momo, her grandmother (played by Lauren Klein), is suffering from dementia and violent outbursts.  The “normal” family holiday stress drives the dinner conversation, revealing a few serious emotional scars.  The evening culminates in an announcement that shakes the foundation and security of this close family unit.

Sarah Steele, Arian Moayed, & Jayne Houdyshell
Photo courtesy of The Humans

This is a true ensemble piece with five strongly developed characters.  Each one carries a storyline of their own.  It is their careful and deliberate intertwining that makes the play engaging.  All the actors are fully committed and create a web of complex relationships that are realistic, truthful, and endearing.  The set, by David Zinn, is an ingenious split level design that effectively allows action to be viewed simultaneously.  The lighting, by Justin Townsend, and sound, by Fitz Patton, create an atmosphere of mystery and suspense that builds as the play reaches its climax.  

Photo courtesy of The Humans

The Humans is performed without an intermission.  There is no late seating and the notice in the program says, “If you leave your seat for any reason during the performance, you will not be permitted to return.”  Rightly so.  The action of this play should not be interrupted once it begins… and should not be missed.  Get a ticket today!

Domenick Danza