“Death Becomes Her” Launches First U.S. Tour: Jackie Burns and Kristen Beth Williams Lead the Company Kicked Off in Cleveland

The musical “Death Becomes Her” is officially on the road. The first national tour across North America launched earlier this month from Playhouse Square in Cleveland, Ohio, and the first photos of the new production were released on September 23.

The company is led by two well-known stage names: Jackie Burns as Madeline Ashton and Kristen Beth Williams as Helen Sharp. The cast also includes Ken Marino as Ernest Menville, Nasia Thomas as Viola Van Horn, Louis A. Williams Jr. as Chagall and Michael Buchanan as Stefan, with Gail Bennett as standby for the two leading female roles.

“Death Becomes Her,” an adaptation of Robert Zemeckis’s famous 1992 film, opened on Broadway on November 21, 2024 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, where it ran until the final performance on June 28. The book was written by Marco Pennette, the songs are by Julia Mattison and Noel Carey, and direction and choreography were by Tony winner Christopher Gattelli. In the original Broadway version, the leading roles were created by Megan Hilty and Jennifer Simard.

The story follows two rivals who gain eternal youth thanks to a magic elixir — with some not-so-small side effects. The full list of tour stops is available on the official website DeathBecomesHer.com.

Source: Playbill — https://playbill.com/article/get-a-1st-look-at-the-1st-national-tour-of-death-becomes-her