Original Broadway Cast, 2025 (Concord Theatricals) (3 / 5) Would anyone really want to live forever? Only if it’s with Megan Hilty and Jennifer Simard. These two leading ladies are the crown jewels of Death Becomes Her, and they do a great job of filling some very big shoes: Hilty is Madeline Ashton, the role Meryl Streep played in the 1992 film of the same title, while Simard is Helen Sharp, played by Goldie Hawn in the flick. As presented in the stage show’s book, by Marco Pennette, the two ladies are supposedly friends — “I love her like a twin…who stole my nutrients in the womb,” states Helen — but they’re constantly trying to outdo one another in looking youthful and in winning and retaining the affections of a hapless plastic surgeon named Ernest Menville (Christopher Sieber). When both women discover the mysterious Viola Van Horn (Michelle Williams, of Destiny’s Child fame), who offers a magic potion to keep them young forever, their rivalry continues and increases to a much higher level. Hilty as Madeline is a campy delight throughout the album, beginning with the first track, “For The Gaze,” a clever tribute to the 1992 film’s cult status among the queer community. And Simard’s performance here is truly special; her unique talents are perfectly suited to the material, her line readings instantly iconic and hilarious. Both leading ladies both get ample opportunity to belt throughout the score, culminating in their final sweet but sardonic duet, “Alive Forever.” Sieber as Menville also comes across well on the album, even if his featured song is a lifeless production number, “The Plan,” that doesn’t justify its own existence. Unfortunately, Williams as Viola does not rise to the level of the rest of the cast, and without the visuals of the elaborate costumes she wears in the Broadway production, her presence on the recording is bland rather than enticing. The score, by Julia Mattison and Noel Carey, abounds in character-driven songs such as “Tell Me, Ernest” and “Let’s Run Away Together,” but the melodies are sadly unmemorable, even after multiple hearings. Ultimately, the success of the album relies more on the gifts of its talented cast than the quality of the music and lyrics, but with Hilty and Simard on hand, it’s hard to complain. — Forrest Hutchinson