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RNZ News
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
‘That was rude': why the new Broadway musical Death Becomes Her was ripe for TikTok memes
By Gregory Camp of Photo: AFP A few snippets of musicalised dialogue from the cast album of the new Broadway musical Death Becomes Her - with music and lyrics by Julia Mattison and Noel Carey, and a book by Marco Pennette - have recently become trending sonic memes on TikTok. In all sorts of situations, users are lip synching to audio clips of Broadway star Jennifer Simard, in the character of Helen Sharp (played by Goldie Hawn in the 1992 cult film on which the musical is based), saying things like "That was rude. That was pretty f**kin' rude" and "She stole my life. She made me cuckoo. She's why I spent four years locked in that health spa." Musical theatre fans love a good meme (scholar Trevor Boffone has written a whole book about the phenomenon) and Death Becomes Her is primed to create a lot of them: a show featuring two divas (played by Simard and Megan Hilty as Madeleine Ashton, Meryl Streep's role in the movie) based on a cult film about divas begs to be shaped and reshaped by fan culture. Helen and Madeleine are longtime rivals who both take a magic potion that makes them immortal. This leads them to find increasingly extravagant ways to try and do away with each other, with the help of Helen's put-upon husband Ernest (Christopher Sieber), a plastic surgeon who reluctantly falls into the role of restoring their bodies after each "accident". Some of Hilty's clips have also been TikTok-ified (notably Tell Me, Earnest) but Simard is winning the numbers game. Her "That was rude" clip alone has 321,000 videos and counting. There seem to be two main reasons for the attraction of these clips. First is Simard's delivery of the words. Simard is a longstanding Broadway star and an expert at musical comedy timing. Second is the rhythmic quality of the dialogue. Not fully sung, these bits are spoken in mostly strict rhythm over orchestral accompaniment. That they have become such earworms demonstrates it is not only melody that burrows into the brain, but also rhythmic contour. There is a long history of this style of speak-singing in musical theatre, notably popularised in the late 1950s by Robert Preston in The Music Man and Rex Harrison in My Fair Lady. Neither of those actors was a strong singer, but both had excellent timing and were able to deliver spoken lines above music with a strong sense of musicality. Simard is an excellent singer with a very wide range, but the comic role of Helen - ever the underdog to her rival famous actress Madeleine - lends itself to this style of heightened speech. Most effective rhythmically, and the most popular excerpt, is the "That was rude" meme, where Simard begins slowly without accompaniment; the bass comes in on "rude" and sets a groove for the rest of the short excerpt. This one has been used in every possible situation, from responses to nasty notes left on people's cars to complaints about incorrect drink orders. Some of the TikTokers refer to Simard in on-screen text, but this one seems to have become popular outside any specific reference to the show, in a truly viral moment. The lengthiest of the trending excerpts is the one that begins with "We talked about killing her before", which sets off a monologue about Helen's plan to do away with Madeline once and for all. This is a tour de force for Simard's comic timing, as it begins in free rhythm and then gradually takes on a more consistent beat. TikTokers are tending to use this one primarily as a demonstration of their lip-syncing skills, as opposed to the other shorter clips that are applied in different ironic situations. This trend also shows the continuing importance of the cast album in musical theatre culture. The majority of TikTokers probably have not seen the show, currently only playing on Broadway with high ticket prices. Yet the cast album (easily available on all the main streaming sites) gives access. The fact these clips come from a cast album also more easily allows fans to create their own visuals around it. Unless they actually saw the show they only have production photographs and short publicity clips (and the occasional shaky bootleg or slime tutorial) to go on in terms of what it looks like. Audio from a source like the soundtrack of the Wicked movie has not led to so many lip-sync videos because the visual track is so readily accessible; as a film, Wicked's visuals define its audio while a cast album can more easily work the other way round. I saw Death Becomes Her on Broadway in January and enjoyed it. It's a fun show full of special effects and comic bits. The score is serviceable (it's not Sondheim), but it is catchy - very important for its use in these TikTok trends - and well performed by Simard and the rest of the cast. This whole phenomenon demonstrates that the current cultural sphere of "Broadway" extends well beyond the street itself. This has been the case at least since the rise of the cast album in the 1950s (My Fair Lady's was the best-selling LP of 1956), but now the reach is intensified by social media spaces like TikTok; you don't have to have actually seen Death Becomes Her to experience it.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Death Becomes Her' star Jennifer Simard is ready to be a leading lady: ‘I don't feel pressure, I feel joy'
If you're Jennifer Simard, The Golden Girls is essential to your character work. In addition to playing Helen Sharp in the new musical Death Becomes Her, the two-time Tony Award-nominated actress hosts The Golden Girls Deep Dive Podcast. So, when asked in a recent Gold Derby interview (watch above) which of the iconic sitcom quartet she thinks her character Helen identifies as, the actress is ready with her answer. 'In the context of this show, a Dorothy,' she states firmly, 'but when she gets glammed up, she's like Dorothy at the Rusty Anchor when she out-sings Blanche, because she transforms into Blanche.' Clearly there is thoughtfulness and preparation behind the camp comedy. 'I think we just knew from the beginning that we were going to work,' suggests Simard of costar Megan Hilty, the Blanche to her Dorothy. The pair have been attached to Death Becomes Her since an early reading in 2023 before continuing with the pre-Broadway run in Chicago. Their chemistry is the beating heart of this stage adaptation about two frenemies who drink a magic potion to earn immortality. Simard suggests that their compatibility on and off stage may be courtesy of their astrological fire signs. 'She's Aries and I'm Leo and I think we get one another. … I think that that chemistry, that genuine love and affection and care that we have for one another as Jennifer and Megan comes across as [their characters] Madeline and Helen.' More from GoldDerby Kathy Bates triumphs: 'Matlock' ends first season as TV's top new series 'What are we going to do?': 'Adolescence' star Erin Doherty on the 'absolute terror' of the show's message How the overwhelming reaction to '9-1-1' death demonstrates disconnect between viewers and Emmy voters The film version of Death Becomes Her has amassed a cult following for its perfectly executed camp, and there are few Broadway performers capable of executing high comedy like Simard. After all, she did snare Tony nominations for playing a horny nun in Disaster! and making a meal out of a role in Company that other actors might only have viewed as a snack. Simard eats another meal in this show courtesy of the number 'Madeline,' which Helen sings while obsessing over her rival from the inside of a psychiatric hospital. Simard finds countless quirks and ticks in her performance to telegraph Helen's mental spiral. 'That number is tricky because we need it to be funny, but there's a responsibility behind it because you are in a mental health institution,' she explains, 'and luckily that's something I've been very public about, and did a solo show about it called Stigma. So I feel like an appropriate person to speak on this matter. … So it's this fine line of you absolutely have to play it for the heightened comedy that it is and it is most successful when you can find those really strange nuances.' When it comes to the many iconic sight gags or quotable lines made famous by Goldie Hawn in the film, Simard isn't concerned about comparisons. 'Maybe it's my age and just how comfortable I am in my skin, but I don't feel pressure, I feel joy,' she admits. 'You make it yours by always working from the inside out. At least that's how I work. I would never try to do an impression of the incredible, iconic, singular Goldie Hawn.' The Hollywood star recently attended the Broadway show and visited the company backstage. It's clear that a meaningful conversation occurred between the two Helen actresses, but Simard isn't ready to spill the beans on the compliments and stories that Hawn shared. 'I'm going to keep them right here,' she says, bringing her hands to her chest, 'but I will never forget. It was pretty great.' Death Becomes Her marks a major milestone in Simard's illustrious stage career. She made her Broadway debut 18 years ago as a replacement in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Since then she's made a name for herself in scene stealing supporting roles, and performed alongside major stars like Bette Midler and Bernadette Peters in Hello, Dolly! and Patti LuPone in Company. But Death Becomes Her is Simard's first leading role on Broadway. 'It is a responsibility I don't take lightly and it's an experience that I feel ready to manage in that I had the best teachers to show me how to be a leading man and a leading lady,' she says with confidence. Simard recounts how Peters and Victor Garber made a point to visit the dressing rooms of every ensemble member before each show, and that she has soaked up the lessons of those legendary performers like a sponge. 'The reason why I feel ready to be a leading lady on Broadway is not even so much for the stuff you see on stage, because I was doing that Off-Broadway for years. … But what is different is the experience that I've had with people who have come before me who have taught me how to behave. And so that's why I feel ready.' Best of GoldDerby 'Boop! The Musical' star Jasmine Amy Rogers uses her own 'quirky little eccentricities' to bring iconic cartoon character to life Kennedy Center Honors: 50 entertainers who deserve to be selected Who Needs a Tony to Reach EGOT? Click here to read the full article.
Toronto Sun
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Toronto Sun
Tony Award nominations: 'Buena Vista Social Club,' 'Death Becomes Her' and 'Maybe Happy Ending' lead nods
Published May 01, 2025 • 5 minute read This image released by Polk & Co. shows Jennifer Simard, left, and Christopher Sieber during a performance of "Death Becomes Her" in New York. Photo by Matthew Murphy/Polk & Co. via AP / AP Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. NEW YORK — Three Broadway shows — 'Buena Vista Social Club,' 'Death Becomes Her' and 'Maybe Happy Ending' — each earned a leading 10 Tony Award nominations Thursday, as nominators spread out the joy and gave nods to George Clooney,Sarah Snook and Bob Odenkirk in their debuts. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Twenty-nine shows got at least one nomination across the 26 Tony categories, even long-closed shows like 'A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical' and 'Swept Away.' James Monroe Iglehart, who played Armstrong in his musical, wasn't expecting the nomination and woke to his phone blowing up. 'I was like, 'What's going on? Is everything OK?' And then I was, 'OK! How cool is that?' he said. 'I'm just really excited to be a part of this crop of amazing performers.' 'Buena Vista Social Club,' which takes its inspiration from Wim Wenders' 1999 Oscar-nominated documentary on the making of the album 'Buena Vista Social Club,' will face off for best musical crown with 'Death Becomes Her,' based on the 1992 cult classic film of the same name about frenemeies who seek a magic eternal youth and beauty potion. The category also includes 'Maybe Happy Ending,' a rom-com musical about a pair of androids that crackles with humanity and ' Dead Outlaw,' a musical about a real life alcoholic drifter who was shot dead in 1911 and whose afterlife proved to be stranger than fiction as he was displayed at carnivals and sideshows for decades. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. A second show with a corpse, the British import 'Operation Mincemeat,' also made it, the improbably true story about a British deception operation designed to mislead Nazi Germany about the location of the Allied landing at Sicily. 'What I think is so cool about this year is that the shows are so widely different and I love that for Broadway,' says Christopher Gattelli, the choreographer and first-time director of 'Death Becomes Her,' who earned nods for both jobs. 'We have chamber pieces and really small intimate shows and these wildly funny black box shows, and so, I love that it's been such a great scope of a year. I love that we get to add to that mix.' 'Dead Outlaw' — conceived by David Yazbek, who wrote the music and lyrics with Erik Della Penna — reunites Yazbek with book writer Itamar Moses and the director David Cromer, who collaborated so winningly on the Tony-winning 'The Band's Visit.' Yazbek said Thursday that the team learned a lesson with that show that they applied to 'Dead Outlaw.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'If you make the thing you want to make and make it true to itself and leave the rest of it up to the fates, then you might actually get the reception that you want. And so we sort of stuck to that approach,' he said. Best play category In the best play category, 'English,' Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Sanaz Toossi's look at four Iranian students preparing for an English language exam, made the cut. As did 'The Hills of California,' Jez Butterworth's look at a family gathering for the impending death of its matriarch set in a hotel in the summer of 1976 in England. They'll compete with 'John Proctor Is the Villain,' Kimberly Belflower's examination of girlhood, feminism, the #MeToo movement and a compelling rebuttal to 'The Crucible,' and 'Purpose,' Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' drawing-room drama about an accomplished Black family destroying itself from within. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The category is completed with 'Oh, Mary!,' an irreverent, raunchy, gleefully deranged revisionist history by Cole Escola centred on Mary Todd Lincoln, portrayed as a boozy, narcissistic, potty-mouthed first lady determined to strike out of the subordinate role into which history has placed her. Jacobs-Jenkins, whose 'Appropriate,' won best play revival last year, said Thursday morning that his category was filled with plays that started regionally or off-Broadway, showing the art's strength. 'I hope people kind of see the diversity of what's happening in terms of writing for the American stages right now. It's really an amazing time,' he said. 'I think that's just the testament to how fruitful the form is.' Acting nods and some missing Audra McDonald, as expected, heard her name called for her turn as Rose in a hailed revival of 'Gypsy,' a role that led to previous Tonys for the likes of Angela Lansbury, Tyne Daly and Patti LuPone. McDonald, already a holder for the most Tonys by a performer _ with six — now vies for a seventh. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. She will face off against Nicole Scherzinger in 'Sunset Blvd.,' Megan Hilty and Jennifer Simard in 'Death Becomes Her,' and Jasmine Amy Rogers from 'Boop! The Musical.' McDonald credits the late Broadway star Gavin Creel for suggesting she lead 'Gypsy' some eight years ago during a dinner party at her house. It wasn't on her radar, and she didn't think a Black-led 'Gypsy' would fly. Creel insisted. He died the first day of 'Gypsy' rehearsals. 'We have another reason to thank him,' she said. Clooney got a nod as a leading actor in a play for his retelling the story of legendary reporter Edward R. Murrow in an adaptation of his 2005 film 'Good Night, and Good Luck.' Another hot ticket — a revival of David Mamet's 'Glengarry Glen Ross' earned Odenkirk a nod, but not for his co-stars Kieran Culkin or comedian Bill Burr. (The snub derails Culkin possibly winning an Oscar, an Emmy and a Tony in less than 18 months.) This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Snook, Culkin's 'Succession' co-star, earned a nomination for playing all 26 parts in 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' and 'Stranger Things' star Sadie Sink earned one for leading 'John Proctor is the Villain.' 'Stranger Things: The First Shadow,' an effects-driven prequel to her old Netflix hit show, earned five nods, including for lead actor Louis McCartney. The news was less good for Kit Connor and Rachel Zegler, both in their Broadway debuts. Neither got nominations for their 'Romeo + Juliet' pitched to Generation X and millennials. Robert Downey Jr., who also made his Broadway debut in the play 'McNeal,' also wasn't recognized. Mia Farrow earned a nomination for 'The Roommate' but her co-star, the Broadway diva Patti LuPone, did not. And, in a shock, an edgy 'Othello' with Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal that producers are charging north of $900 for orchestra seats, got not a single nomination. Idina Menzel's return to Broadway in 'Redwood,' a contemporary fable about trees, grief and the quest for healing, also got no nominations. 'Our Town,' starring Jim Parsons and Katie Holmes, earned a best play revival Tony nomination, but nothing for its actors. Elton John's musical about 1980s televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker and the Stephen Sondheim revue starring Tony Award-winners Bernadette Peters and Lea Salonga came up blank. The Tony Awards will be handed out June 8 at Radio City Music Hall during a telecast hosted by 'Wicked' star and Tony winner Cynthia Erivo. Toronto & GTA Travel USA Editorial Cartoons Sunshine Girls Celebrity
