Megan Hilty, Jennifer Simard to lead 'Death Becomes Her' musical in Chicago

The world-premiere show, based on the cult classic 1992 movie starring Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn, will premiere in 2024 at the Cadillac Palace Theatre.

Tony Award nominees Megan Hilty and Jennifer Simard will lead the cast of the new musical Death Becomes Her, which will premiere in Chicago in 2024 ahead of a planned Broadway transfer. Performances run from April 30 to June 2 at the Cadillac Palace Theatre.

The show is an adaptation of the 1992 film of the same name about two aging, feuding women who take a potion to regain their beauty, which only intensifies their feud as they continue to fight for love, fame, and youth. Hilty and Simard star as Madeline Ashton and Helen Sharp, the roles respectively originated by Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn on screen.

Hilty is a Tony nominee for Noises Off and is also known for her performances in Wicked, 9 to %, and the TV show Smash. Simard earned her Tony nod for Company and just wrapped a run in Once Upon a One More Time on Broadway.

Additional casting for the pre-Broadway production has yet to be announced.

Tony winner Christopher Gattelli (Newsies) directs and choreographs Death Becomes Her, leading a creative team that also includes music supervisor Mary-Mitchell Campbell, composer/lyricists Noel Carey and Julia Mattison, and book writer Marco Pennette, who adapted the script from Martin Donovan and David Koepp's screenplay.

Photo credit: Megan Hilty and Jennifer Simard. (Photos courtesy of production)