Megan Hilty, Jennifer Simard in the Broadway adaptation

Megan Hilty always knew Death Becomes Her would be a great musical — and now she's headlining the show on Broadway.

Listen to this week’s “Stagecraft” podcast below:

The fan-favorite stage and screen actress (“Smash,” “9 to 5”) stars in Universal Theatrical Group's new stage adaptation alongside Broadway scene-stealer Jennifer Simard (“Once Upon a One More Time,” “Company”) stars the 1992 comedy film, which is now playing on Broadway after being well received in Chicago earlier this year. In a conversation with Hilty and Simard about “Stagecraft” diversityHilty explained on her theater podcast why she knew Death Becomes Her could be an exemplary musical even before it actually became one.

“The camp and general exaggeration of everything just lends itself to breaking into song,” she said. “That can be really hard to justify when you make a musical out of something that wasn't originally a musical, but you can look at this movie and say, 'Yeah, that's it would Make sense when they break out into song. Nobody would question it.' Beyond that, it’s simply a cult classic that has a built-in audience that would love and adore it.”

In the roles originally played by Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn, Hilty and Simard play enemies whose quest to stay young – and outdo each other at every opportunity – takes a surreal turn when the magic potion they both drink turns into something unexpected leads to complications. Simard said she appreciated the contemporary perspective the musical brings to a story about society's obsession with staying young.

For example, the show foregoes the fat suit that Hawn wore in the film. And Simard added that she can bring a nuanced perspective to the interludes in which her character is institutionalized for mental health issues – because she has experience with such issues herself and has always made a point of raising awareness. “The comedy that I have to bring to this moment is very broad, but it's OK because I can speak to it,” she said. “I have this line: 'I'm taking new medication.' Well, guess what? Me too!”

Hilty noted that she feels a personal connection to the societal pressures faced by her character, vain actress Madeline Ashton. “I can really relate to the idea of ​​Madeline being an actress at a certain stage of her life, questioning her physicality and her relevance through that, and what I'm willing to do and what I'm not willing to do to try to achieve a certain “To achieve levels of perfection, youth and beauty that are frankly unattainable,” she revealed. “These are all things that I deal with on a very personal level.”

In the latest “Stagecraft” episode, the duo also discussed their enduring affection for Broadway – it's Hilty's first time in eight years, while Simard has appeared in three shows in the last three years – and took listeners behind the scenes of the comic Specials effects used to achieve the film's famous body contortions.

“There are a lot of departments involved – prosthetics, electrical, the dance department. It is a very delicate dance that requires great care and time,” Simard said of the impact. Then she added with a laugh, “And if you're not careful, you could end up feeling like an animatronic in the Hall of Presidents!”

To hear the full conversation, click the link above or download and subscribe to Stagecraft on podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and the Broadway Podcast Network. New episodes of “Stagecraft” appear every two weeks.