Megan Hilty: "Death Becomes Her"

I actually have never seen the Robert Zemeckis film "Death Becomes Her"; when I mentioned this to a Broadway vendor, he looked at me with obvious confusion. I bought my (Broadway) ticket for the chance to see Jennifer Simard--and only for the chance to see Jennifer Simard.

Also, I'm on vacation, and I'm hoping not to learn anything. No learning. No deep thinking. No "Our Town," no "Yellow Face." The only option was: "Death Becomes Her."

It feels strange to say this, but the Broadway version of "DBH" is essentially a rewrite of "Sweeney Todd." Helen Sharp, a meek, unsuccessful writer, watches in silence as her future is ripped from her hands. The best possible response is murder. But, having sought (and achieved) vengeance, Helen discovers that it's not quite what she had hoped for. Is it possible to live without the desire for revenge? And if revenge "leads to hell," then why is it still (sometimes) irresistible?

As in "Sweeney Todd," "DBH" provides a memorable villain. She is Madeline Ashton, cruel and unhinged. She wrecks homes; she tortures her domestic staff. In one of her best scenes, she suggests that it's burdensome to sign an autograph--then she rejects a pen and uses a machine-made stamp with her "signature" dipped in ink.

But, as I said, I paid up to see Jennifer Simard, and there was a particular moment that rewarded my investment. Simard's character says, "I'm coming here...I'm coming there...I'm becoming my own person....look at me! COME just seems to be flowing from my mouth!" And she dribbles water from her mouth, as if her face has yielded to a sudden eruption of human semen. I'm certain that no one wrote this shocking moment into the script. I'd bet many dollars that the moment is simply an invention of Jennifer Simard's. (And when people talk about comic brilliance, that's what they're referring to. Simard has a fearlessness that distinguishes her from most other singers on Broadway stages.)

So: two thumbs up. Let's get Simard into several other leading roles.

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