A Renowned Actress Bids Farewell to Broadway Show
After captivating audiences for two years, a Tony-nominated actress is departing from her Broadway engagement.
PEOPLE magazine reveals that Megan Hilty will perform for the last time in the Broadway production of Death Becomes Her.
Hilty first portrayed Madeline Ashton during the musical’s debut in Chicago in 2024, carrying the role over to its Broadway stint. Her performance earned her a Tony nomination for Best Leading Actress in a Musical, marking her second Tony nod. Previously, in 2016, she received a nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her role in Noises Off. Hilty has been involved with Death Becomes Her since its initial development stages in 2023.
In June, Hilty described the role as “the most challenging and rewarding” of her career. She had to pause her performances for four weeks to recover from a vocal injury, necessitating time off for healing, before resuming her performances the next month. She will take her final bow on Sunday, January 4, 2026. Following her departure, Betsy Wolfe will assume the role of Madeline Ashton starting Friday, January 16, at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.
Death Becomes Her, inspired by Robert Zemeckis’ 1992 dark comedy film produced by Universal Pictures, has received 33 nominations in the 2024-25 theater season. The musical, showcasing an original score by Tony nominees Julia Mattison and Noel Carey, features a book by Tony nominee Marco Pennett and direction and choreography by Tony winner Christopher Gattelli. After premiering globally in May 2024 at Chicago’s Cadillac Palace Theatre, the production made its way to Broadway’s Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in November.
According to Playbill, the plot of Death Becomes Her centers around the glamorous yet manipulative Madeline Ashton, a self-proclaimed unparalleled beauty in the acting world, and Helen Sharp, a writer perpetually overshadowed by Madeline. The two have maintained a complicated friendship, which escalates when Madeline ensnares Helen’s fiancé. Helen’s subsequent revenge plan coincides with their encounter with Viola Van Horn, who possesses a mysterious potion that promises eternal youth, sparking a bizarre adventure of rivalry and rejuvenation.
The cast of Death Becomes Her includes notables such as three-time Tony nominee Jennifer Simard, two-time Tony nominee Christopher Sieber, and Grammy winner Michelle Williams. The ensemble also comprises Taurean Everett, Josh Lamon, Marija Abney, Sarita Colón, Kaleigh Cronin, Alexa De Baar, Natalie Charle Ellis, Michael Graceffa, Neil Haskell, Ximone Rose, Bethany Ann Tesarck, Mitch Tobin, Sir Brock Warren, Bud Weber, Ryan Worsing, Warren Yang, Kyle Brown, Kristine Covillo, Alex Hartmanm, Lakota Knuckle, McKinley Knuckle, Johanna Moise, Justin O’Brien, Amy Quanbeck, and Dee Roscioli.
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