When he was first asked to lead the Broadway hit musical “Death Becomes Her,” director and choreographer Christopher Gattelli loved it, but refused to work on the big, splashy opening number. It was just too delicious.
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It lasted 19 days AP PHOTOS: Cicadas swarm parts of the Eastern U.S. as the insects emerge in Brood XIV's 17-year cycleEasily distracted? How to improve your attention span Workers are saying 'no' to toxic environments. Here's how you can set limits or know it's time to leaveAP News AlertsAP PHOTOS: FBI investigating 'targeted terror attack' at Pearl Street mall in ColoradoIn Uganda, an affordable alternative to dirt floors is a big boost to human healthStudy suggests a new prescription for colon cancer patients: ExerciseDogs and cats can also suffer from allergies, but there are ways to help our furry friendsMusk faces big challenges as he leaves Washington for the business worldSaudi Arabia stops 269,678 Muslims without Hajj permits from entering MeccaUcrania y Rusia concluyen su ronda más reciente de negociaciones de paz directas en EstambulChina afirma que medidas de EEUU sobre chips y visas estudiantiles violan tregua arancelariaChristopher Gattelli from “Death Becomes Her” attends the 78th Annual Tony Awards Meet the Nominees press event at the Sofitel New York on Thursday, May 8, 2025, in New York. Nominee Megan Hilty from “Death Becomes Her” attends the 78th Annual Tony Awards Meet the Nominees press event at the Sofitel New York on Thursday, May 8, 2025, in New York. Nominee Jennifer Simard from “Death Becomes Her” attends the 78th Annual Tony Awards Meet the Nominees press event at the Sofitel New York on Thursday, May 8, 2025, in New York. This image released by Polk & Co. shows Megan Hilty, left, and Jennifer Simard during a performance of “Death Becomes Her” in New York. This image released by Polk & Co. shows Taurean Everett, center, with the cast during a performance of “Death Becomes Her” in New York. This image released by Polk & Co. shows Michelle Williams, center, with the cast during a performance of “Death Becomes Her” in New York. This image released by Polk & Co. shows Jennifer Simard, left, and Christopher Sieber during a performance of “Death Becomes Her” in New York. Christopher Gattelli from “Death Becomes Her” attends the 78th Annual Tony Awards Meet the Nominees press event at the Sofitel New York on Thursday, May 8, 2025, in New York. Christopher Gattelli from “Death Becomes Her” attends the 78th Annual Tony Awards Meet the Nominees press event at the Sofitel New York on Thursday, May 8, 2025, in New York. Nominee Megan Hilty from “Death Becomes Her” attends the 78th Annual Tony Awards Meet the Nominees press event at the Sofitel New York on Thursday, May 8, 2025, in New York. Nominee Megan Hilty from “Death Becomes Her” attends the 78th Annual Tony Awards Meet the Nominees press event at the Sofitel New York on Thursday, May 8, 2025, in New York. Nominee Jennifer Simard from “Death Becomes Her” attends the 78th Annual Tony Awards Meet the Nominees press event at the Sofitel New York on Thursday, May 8, 2025, in New York. Nominee Jennifer Simard from “Death Becomes Her” attends the 78th Annual Tony Awards Meet the Nominees press event at the Sofitel New York on Thursday, May 8, 2025, in New York. This image released by Polk & Co. shows Megan Hilty, left, and Jennifer Simard during a performance of “Death Becomes Her” in New York. This image released by Polk & Co. shows Megan Hilty, left, and Jennifer Simard during a performance of “Death Becomes Her” in New York. This image released by Polk & Co. shows Taurean Everett, center, with the cast during a performance of “Death Becomes Her” in New York. This image released by Polk & Co. shows Taurean Everett, center, with the cast during a performance of “Death Becomes Her” in New York. This image released by Polk & Co. shows Michelle Williams, center, with the cast during a performance of “Death Becomes Her” in New York. This image released by Polk & Co. shows Michelle Williams, center, with the cast during a performance of “Death Becomes Her” in New York. This image released by Polk & Co. shows Jennifer Simard, left, and Christopher Sieber during a performance of “Death Becomes Her” in New York. This image released by Polk & Co. shows Jennifer Simard, left, and Christopher Sieber during a performance of “Death Becomes Her” in New York. director and choreographer Christopher Gattelli loved it, but refused to work on the big, splashy opening number. It was just too delicious. “When they sent it to me, I was cooking and I burnt dinner because my mind was spinning,” he says. “I was, like, ‘This is a gift. I will never get an opening number like this again.’”1992 comic cult classic onto a stage and only then turned to the big, brassy song, “For the Gaze,” a winking valentine to gay men, punning along the way. “I was able to do the show and then have my full brain on that number because I knew the potential of what it could be,” he says.There are mid-song costume changes, dance breaks, chorus boys hoisting Hilty, spangly jumpsuits and tuxedos, high-kicking Vegas showgirls with feather headdresses, a body double doing somersaults, a rainbow flag of top-hatted dancers, and Hilty doing acameo, all ending with the grand finale of Hilty as Judy Garland’s Dorothy from “The Wizard of Oz,” complete with a little stuffed dog. “I heard the pocket in that song, and I was like, ‘I know there’s a giant laugh there. I can hear giant laughs, what’s that giant laugh?’” says Gattelli. “What’s the biggest gay reference? Then I literally I just worked backwards.”That number telegraphs to the audience exactly what to expect for the rest of the night — a perfectly rehearsed, lushly costumed, silly, self-aware comedy. “Once we hit ‘For the Gaze,’ the audience knows exactly what the show is,” he says. “And then I think they’re in for the ride.” Megan Hilty and Jennifer Simard in “Death Becomes Her.” The work on “For the Gaze” has helped Gattelli see his show earn 10 Tony Award nominations, including one for his Broadway debut as a director and another for his choreography.as her suffering-in-the-shadows writer friend. Their mutual desperate measures for achieving eternal youth turn comically grotesque. Hilty plays the Streep role, while “It felt like just the perfect fit for what I do and what I love to do,” Gattelli says. “I love comedy and I love to direct comedy and I love to do these big splashy numbers. It felt like everything I’ve been itching to do.”— has been a mainstay on Broadway of late, able to choreograph such venerable works as “The King and I” and “My Fair Lady” but also irreverent musicals as “SpongeBob SquarePants” and the jukebox variety, like “The Cher Show.” He made his directing debut off-Broadway in 2011 with “Silence!” a parody musical of “The Silence of the Lambs,” complete with a chorus of dancing lambs running across the stage. Lowe Cunningham, lead producer of “Death Becomes Her,” saw it in Los Angeles and later asked Gattelli about the experience, how he collaborated and his approach to the work. She was impressed by his openness to all ideas and his caring. “I think first and foremost, his talent is clear and it’s been out there in the world of choreography for a long time. He is innovative, he does things other people aren’t doing, but the other thing is that he’s renowned as being an incredibly kind human being,” she says. Gattelli, who won a 2012 Tony for choreographing “Newsies the Musical” — one of his show-stopping moments was dancers sliding on newspapers — was brought in relatively late to “Death Becomes Her,” only a year and half before opening on Broadway. “It was a great lesson in trusting your instincts,” he says. “They said, ‘We want a lush, opulent, sexy, magical sparkling evening.’ And we just started taking big swings.” It started with — of all things — the curtain. The audience filing into the theater is greeted by a purple, royal fabric. “When people walk in, they immediately feel like that it’s lush and sexy and mysterious.”The challenge of one scene The musical is filled with very funny special effects that are decidedly low-tech. At one point, the two leading ladies are replaced by two men duking it out in dresses and wigs. The audience roars at the deception and Gattelli even advised one of the male combatants not to shave his arm hair. “The audience is in on the joke,” he says. “I love that they go on that ride with us. They’re laughing with us. We’re all laughing together and it feels good.” One scene from the movie needed a lot of planning to make it on stage: The tumble down the elegant mansion stairs by Hilty’s character. Hollywood CGI magic would have to be replicated by Broadway ingenuity. “The people that know the movie and the fans especially are going to go, ‘How are they going to do it?’ It was keeping me up at night forever because we tried everything,” says Gattelli.Warren Yang — an actor with a gymnastics background — wears Hilty’s outfit and a wig as he tumbles slowly, acrobatically and theatrically down the stairs, somersaulting as thunder sounds crash and we hear what seems like bones cracking. “There are very simple techniques that make a big impact,” says Gattelli. “I just went back to it’s a beautiful, lush, gorgeous show, but, at the core, it’s just theatrical magic and stagecraft.”Kennedy is a theater, TV, music, food and obit writer and editor for The Associated Press, as well as a critic for theater, movies and music. He is based in New York City.Trump says he’s withdrawing the nomination of Musk associate Jared Isaacman to lead NASA
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