Siempre Viva! Jackie Burns, Kristen Beth Williams and Ken Marino Dish on Death Becomes Her Tour

The secret’s out! Death Becomes Her's North American tour kicked into gear on September 12. Jackie Burns and Kristen Beth Williams play dueling divas Madeline Ashton and Helen Sharp, respectively, with Ken Marino as Ernest Menville, Nasia Thomas as Viola Van Horn, Louis A. Williams Jr. as Chagall and Michael Buchanan as Stefan. Before the mortality-defying musical comedy hit the road, Broadway.com Editor-in-Chief Paul Wontorek stopped by rehearsals to chat with the cast.

“I think this is one of the most perfect musicals I've been a part of and seen," Burns says. "I was such a fan of the show when I saw it in previews. It was the first time I'd gone to the theater in a while that I was like, 'This kind of checked all my boxes.' I left with an earworm. I was laughing my face off.”

Speaking to Madeline and Helen’s charged dynamic, Burns says, “Through that rivalry [they] make each other better, which is really interesting to watch. She pushes her down a peg and then she comes back even better. They're constantly one-upping each other and through that, they're always rising to the occasion of the other person.”

For Williams, "It's just so great to see women on stage who act like women, talk like women and are of a certain age. Because nobody's writing for women in their late 30s to mid 40s anymore." It’s an appropriate sentiment, seeng as Death Becomes Her playfully lampoons the plight of aging in the entertainment industry.

Marino is ready to take his comedic chops on the road as Dr. Ernest Menville, a surgeon caught in the crossfire of Madeline and Helen’s feud. “Ernest is stuck in the middle of these two larger than life women and he's just trying to survive,” says Marino of his long-suffering character. Referring to the scope of this production, he adds, “It's not a small show that you can put anywhere. The fact that it's now touring the country and you can see what a real, big, beautiful Broadway show looks like in your hometown, that's what makes it exciting.”

“Everybody is a delight," Thomas says of her Swarovski-clad castmates. "Everybody is kind and encouraging and warm and funny. And it feels like also watching people who I would take master classes from. Everywhere I turn is somebody that I can learn from. I'm excited to go and learn and hang out and eat and cut up a little bit with the cast.” Cheers to that—or rather, bottoms up!

Watch below!