Christopher Gattelli on Death Becomes Her’s Broadway Success and Betsy Wolfe’s Arrival

Now in its second year on Broadway, Death Becomes Her has been delighting audiences with its uproarious tale of two frenemies who attempt to stop the aging process in its tracks through supernatural intervention. Based on the 1992 cult classic film, Death Becomes Her is a Broadway spectacle of the highest order, in large part due to its director-choreographer Christopher Gattelli. Broadway.com Managing Editor Beth Stevens sat down with the Tony nominee to discuss the glorious escapism taking place at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.

"It's truly one of the best things, because especially in these times right now, everyone needs to laugh. We all need to laugh," says Gattelli. "Sometimes I'll walk by the theater, go in for 40 minutes just to hear the audience, because the crowds go crazy every show and it's like a party in there. For two-and-a-half hours, they get whisked away."

The show recently brought in its first principal replacement, Tony nominee Betsy Wolfe, who took over for Megan Hilty as the mortality-defying actress Madeline Ashton. "She's a total pro and she's incredible in her own right," Gattelli says of Wolfe. "I love rebuilding things with new people because everyone brings their own special gifts to the party and she has different gifts than Megan. We were retooling things and making it retrofitted for Betsy and it's great. That's why I love theater so much, because it's alive and it's present and it's in the moment. You can have Megan one week and then Betsy the next. It's still the same incredible show, but it's different in great ways because it's going to be a slightly different interpretation."

Gattelli, who will next be bringing Schmigadoon! to Broadway, strives to give his performers the freedom to explore. “I'm definitely not the kind of director that's like, you're on two, walk to four, cross here on this line. I get that approach, but I always feel like if you have the pillars of a really good project and a show with great music and a great book it will hold itself up. You hire people because of their talent and I don't want to dim that light. I just want to turn it up and help them and see what they're going to bring to the piece in their way.”

His emphasis on individuality extends to the production’s glittering costumes, designed by Tony and Oscar winner Paul Tazewell. “Those costumes that Paul built for the Immortals [the ensemble of Death Becomes Her] were all retro built and fit to everyone's bodies,” says Gattelli. “It was all a collaboration. When that curtain goes up and they're standing there, I want them to feel incredible and like they're gold.”

Before he was one of musical theater’s most in-demand directors, Gattelli was a performer himself, appearing in Broadway productions of Cats, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Fosse. Gattelli’s experience onstage informs his approach to choreography, particularly with the ensemble. “I've been there, I've been in [the ensemble’s] shoes and I have great empathy for them. I tell every company I work with that I don't want this to be your last show. I want to do things that are sustainable eight times a week.”

Death Becomes Her provides new thrills with each performance, even for its director. “They can still catch me and make me laugh at things that they're trying. But honestly, the surprise is that the crowds are still going crazy for it. It makes me so proud of it and proud of everyone who collaborated and is a part of it.”

Watch the full interview below:

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