Video: DEATH BECOMES HER Celebrates Opening Night
Nov 27, 2024
In this video, watch interviews with the cast and creative team of Death Becomes Her as they come together to celebrate their big opening night on Broadway!
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I get to make 1,500 people laugh eight times a week
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That is the coolest thing in the world. And I'm so happy about it
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Hello, I'm Richard Ridge for Broadway World. The new musical Death Becomes her has come to Broadway
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and we're here on opening night to celebrate with the company, led by Megan Hilty, Jennifer Simard, Christopher Seber, and Michelle Williams
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Welcome home. How does it feel? It feels correct. I feel very comfortable in my skin
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really ready for this beautiful opportunity that I've been gifted. What's made this so special? You've worked on some incredible shows, but what about this one is so
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special? I knew from the first reading that it was really a winner. If I may say so, if I may
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be as bold to say this, I feel like we're a female producers, a female led producers. It just
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feels so right. We have the best creative team in the business, and it's an honor to say
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these words by Marco Panette and to sing this music by Julia and Noel and to have this directing team
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and this leadership by Universal. Sharing the stage with Megan. Let's start with that
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Every time I talk to anyone of my friends who've seen it, they comment on our
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incredible chemistry and I couldn't agree more and I'm happy to report that that is backstage as well
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We've become very good friends. We always have each other's back. We talk, we listen, we're generous
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There's no competition. There's no room for that. We pride ourselves on being gals, gals, and I think the audience senses that
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Laughter is my favorite elixir It keeps me young And art is a way to heal people souls And comedy is a beautiful way to do that
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I feel so good. I mean, it's been three years since I've been here, about four, actually almost five now
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actually, with the pandemic and everything. So this is my first opening night in a long time
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And I'm so grateful, but I'm grateful because I feel Broadway is back now
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You know, people are coming back. That's fantastic. Plus, we have one of the funniest shows, if not the funniest show on Broadway right now
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And I get to play with two of the most powerful musical comedy stars ever
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And I'm in, I get to watch it every night. I mean, I'm more than grateful
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And also, I get to make 1,500 people laugh eight times a week. That is the coolest thing in the world
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And I'm so happy about it. But it must feel so great from the second you must hear the roar of the crowd before you even start the show
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Yeah. When you hear that, even when your lights go to half, and the audience goes crazy
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It's like the coolest feeling because you know you're doing something right. Or they've heard that we're doing something right
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and they can't wait to see what we're doing right. I just love to watch the three of you up there make magic
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That's magic. It's absolutely. And I learned, too. I think many have said you. It's like there's the lead follower
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Get out of the way. I just get out of the way. Just get out of the way. I mean, you know, I'll just stand there
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I'll be a talking set piece. It's fine. It's fine. But I'm grateful I get to be there
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What's made this so special for you? You worked on some amazing pieces toward all over the world
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What's made this so special with working on debt becomes her? Finally being able to originate and build a role myself, of course, with the help of Team
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Gatelli that been pretty cool Just sharing the stage with this company what it means to you Oh a masterclass I think I said that to you all before Even with the amazing ensemble
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masterclass, they lift me up every single night. Even if I feel like my posture is a little pedestrian
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I'm like, oh, there's Mikey. I better raise my shoulders. It's the time of my life
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It's not every day that you get a writer like Marco and, you know, Julia, Noel writing you literal comic gold
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and Gateli just like helping you along the way, it's so much fun. So what's made this so special for you
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Really, you know, part of it is being back with Megan. We did Wicked like 18 years ago
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Being back with Chris, who was, you know, one of my besties at prom, and getting to just have this experience, getting to be with Jen again
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Like, it's just, it's a dream come true, you know? I just want people to walk away feeling great and proud of the work that we've put in
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and the sleepless nights that we've had. And I just really want everyone to enjoy themselves
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What's made it special is that I was in it from the beginning
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it's beginning processes, and the development of the character, the development of my position in the show
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has been a dream come true. What an incredible cast. It must be so great for you to watch them
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like, bring your words to life on stage. Yeah, and they're so talented
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They don't just bring them to life. I mean, they build on them. And that's the secret
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Like, I know some actors that get a laugh with hello, you know, that's what these guys do
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So they made me look good and I credit them. So standing here on your opening night purple carpet here at the Lentfontein, what's going through your head
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Um I mean like I said it it has been the dream and I know everyone says that my mom who not with us anymore was my biggest supporter And she took me to see Peter Pan here when I was 10 years old
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So that's what I'm thinking of a little bit. Who would have thought? So I kind of feel her with me tonight, and it's kind of full circle moment for me
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What's going through my mind is that the first time I ever went to New York, I was about like 14 years old and I stayed a block away
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And I probably walked right on these steps without thinking a beat of it. And if I could tell that kid that in like 20 years he was going to write a Broadway show
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he'd probably slap me in the face and think I was crazy. But it's a crazy surreal moment, and I'm so grateful for it
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What's made this so special for you with working on this and creating this musical for Broadway
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I'll tell you, you know, it's obviously a big show, but they let us be so ourselves and so individual
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And even though, and Universal has been so great in letting us be free with our comedic instinct
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and what we want to bring to the stage, they've really let us be ourselves
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What's it been like for you, like, going into the Lunt and seeing the joy this show brings
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I mean, right when the lights go down. It's everything to me. I was saying I remember seeing the producer's original cast
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when I was on a family trip when I was a kid, and I remember the electric laughter shared in that space
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and I was so addicted to it. I knew I was like, I just have to be a part of whatever this is
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that energy is. And so to be here and to know that we built something that we're feeling this communal laughter is like very healing
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It's very, it's so essential. I think a laugh is some of the best needed energy that we can get
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And so, especially as, you know, as the world is, you want to close the doors and have a good time
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And it's a really joyful thing in there that I feel so lucky to be a part of
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