Madeline Ashton is screaming. She’s just realized her head is on backward, and honestly, the melody she’s singing while twisting her neck back into place is catchier than it has any right to be. This is the chaotic, high-camp energy of the new musical adaptation of the 1992 cult classic film. When people search for death becomes her songs, they aren't just looking for a tracklist; they are looking for how a movie famous for its groundbreaking (and slightly horrifying) visual effects translated into a sonic experience that feels as immortal as its protagonists.
The transition from screen to stage is treacherous. Most fail. But songwriters Julia Mattison and Noel Carey managed to bottle the sheer desperation of aging in Hollywood and turn it into a brassy, orchestral fever dream.
The Sound of Eternal Youth (and Grudges)
You remember the movie. Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn throwing shovels at each other while their skin literally chips away. It was gothic, it was funny, and it was deeply cynical. The Broadway musical leans into that cynicism but wraps it in a "Golden Age" musical theater blanket that makes the biting lyrics go down smoother.
"For the Gaze" is the standout. It’s Madeline’s big opening number, and it sets the tone for the entire show. Megan Hilty, who plays Madeline, carries the song with a desperate, narcissistic bravado. The song captures that specific 1980s-90s vanity. It’s not just about being pretty. It’s about being seen. The orchestration uses sharp strings and a driving beat that feels like a ticking clock—ironic, considering the plot.
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Then there’s "If You Want Perfection," the song introduced by the mysterious Lisle Von Rhuman. In the film, Isabella Rossellini played Lisle with a hushed, exotic menace. On stage, the song becomes a seductive, almost ritualistic invitation to the dark side of chemistry. The music here shifts. It becomes slinkier. Darker. It’s the kind of song that makes you want to drink a glowing pink potion even if you know your soul is the price of admission.
Why These Songs Hit Differently Than the Movie
In the original 1992 film, Alan Silvestri’s score was brilliant, but it was purely instrumental. It relied on staccato bursts and "mickey-mousing" (where the music mimics the physical action on screen). The musical has to do something much harder: it has to make these characters sing about their deepest, most shallow insecurities.
Take "I See Me." It’s a duet, or rather, a duel. Madeline and Helen (played by Jennifer Simard) are finally face-to-face after years of mutual sabotage. The song is a masterpiece of counterpoint. One sings about her victory; the other sings about her revenge. They overlap. They clash. It’s a vocal representation of their intertwined, toxic lives.
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What’s fascinating is how Mattison and Carey use the music to signal the characters' "undead" status. As the show progresses and the women become less human, the music gets more mechanical and aggressive. It loses the warmth of the early ballads. It becomes as plastic and rigid as their resurrected bodies.
Behind the Lyrics: Camp as a Weapon
Camp is often misunderstood as just "being over the top." But true camp, especially in death becomes her songs, is about taking the ridiculous seriously. When Helen sings about her obsession with Madeline's husband, Ernest, the song "Always Walk Away" sounds like a tragic torch song. But the lyrics are absurd. She’s singing about a man who stuffs dead animals for a living.
The humor is baked into the rhythm. There are pauses in the music designed specifically for a jaw-drop or a physical gag. You’ve got to appreciate the technical skill involved in timing a high note with a mechanical effect that makes a character's stomach look like it has a hole in it.
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Key Musical Moments You Can't Miss
- The Potion Reveal: The music swells into a terrifying, triumphant wall of sound. It’s meant to feel like a religious experience, which, for these characters, it basically is.
- The Staircase Sequence: A musical nod to the film’s iconic fall. The percussion here is brutal. You can almost hear the bones snapping in time with the drums.
- The Finale: Without giving too much away, the final number is a haunting reflection on what it means to actually "live" forever. It’s the only time the show gets truly quiet, and it’s devastating.
The Ernest Problem: Singing the "Straight Man" Role
Ernest Menville is the anchor. In the film, Bruce Willis played him as a whimpering, alcoholic mess. In the musical, Christopher Sieber brings a booming baritone that makes Ernest's misery feel operatic. His songs are the most "human." They provide the necessary contrast to the frenetic energy of the two women.
His big number, "Tell Me I’m Wrong," is a plea for sanity in a world that has gone completely insane. The song is grounded in a traditional Broadway sound, which makes the supernatural chaos surrounding him feel even more detached from reality. It’s a clever bit of musical storytelling—using a conservative musical style to represent a character who is desperately clinging to the natural order of life and death.
Practical Insights for the Musical Theater Fan
If you're looking to dive deeper into the world of death becomes her songs, start with the Chicago pre-Broadway cast recordings if you can find snippets, but keep an eye out for the official Broadway cast album. It’s the only way to hear the nuanced lyrical changes made during the show’s development.
To truly appreciate the score, you have to look for the "leitmotifs"—recurring musical themes. There is a specific four-note sequence that plays whenever the potion is mentioned. It’s subtle, but once you hear it, you’ll realize it’s everywhere, lurking under the surface of even the happiest-sounding songs. It’s a musical "memento mori," a reminder that death is always coming, even if you’ve paid to skip the line.
Next Steps for the Obsessed:
- Compare the Orpheum Scenes: Watch the 1992 film's opening "Don't Feed the Animals" sequence and then listen to the musical's version, "For the Gaze." Notice how the stage version expands Madeline’s internal monologue.
- Analyze the Counterpoint: Listen to the duets between Madeline and Helen. Try to track one voice at a time to see how the insults are woven into the harmonies.
- Check the Credits: Look into Julia Mattison’s previous work in parody and comedy. It explains why the lyrics in this show are so much sharper and more irreverent than your standard movie-to-musical adaptation.