The next chapter of Death Becomes Her is officially underway, with the complete cast announced for the first year of the musical’s multi-year North American tour, set to launch this September at Playhouse Square in Cleveland, Ohio.
Leading the production are Jackie Burns as Madeline Ashton, Kristen Beth Williams as Helen Sharp, Ken Marino as Ernest Menville, Nasia Thomas as Viola Van Horn, Louis A. Williams Jr. as Chagall, Michael Buchanan as Stefan, and Gail Bennett, who will serve as standby for both Madeline Ashton and Helen Sharp.
Rounding out the company are Calvin Cooper, Nick Cortazzo, Tiki Hopson, Karma Jenkins, Tyler Jimenez, Caroline Kane, Bryn Purvis, Jordan Vasquez, and Candace Janin Washington, while Ian Liberto, McKinley Knuckle, Alicia Albright, and Savannah Cooper will join as swings.
Based on the beloved cult classic, Death Becomes Her follows glamorous actress Madeline Ashton and bestselling author Helen Sharp, lifelong rivals whose complicated friendship reaches a breaking point after Madeline steals Helen’s fiancé. Their feud takes an unexpected turn when the mysterious Viola Van Horn introduces them to a magical potion that restores their youth and beauty—setting off an outrageous battle that seems destined to last forever.
Before launching its national tour, the musical enjoyed an impressive Broadway run. Following a pre-Broadway engagement at Chicago’s Cadillac Palace Theatre in May and June 2024, the production officially opened on Broadway on November 21, 2024, at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. During its 20-month run, the show played more than 650 performances, sold over 900,000 tickets, and concluded its Broadway engagement on June 28, 2026.
The production also became one of Broadway’s biggest award contenders during the 2024–2025 season, collecting 34 nominations across major ceremonies. Its recognition included 12 Outer Critics’ Circle Award nominations, five Drama Desk Award nominations, four Drama League Award nominations, two Chita Rivera Award nominations, 10 Tony Award nominations, and a GRAMMY Award nomination for Best Musical Theater Album.
The national tour begins at Playhouse Square in Cleveland, Ohio, running from September 12 through October 3, 2026, before traveling across the United States with stops in cities including Columbus, St. Louis, Omaha, Nashville, Atlanta, Orlando, Boston, Baltimore, Detroit, Houston, Dallas, Denver, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, and many more.
The first year of the tour is currently scheduled to conclude at SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center in Sacramento, California, with performances running September 1–5, 2027.
Source: Various Sources.
