Meryl Streeps note to Hilty onDeath Becomes Hers opening night.
(Neither the production nor the theater knew of the stealth Destinys Child reunion in advance.)
Vogue: What jumped out when you first read the script?
Photo: Jenny Anderson
Im excited to be on that maiden voyage.
Megan Hilty:You cant mistake good material.
What shape was the script in when you first saw it?
Meryl Streep’s note to Hilty onDeath Becomes Her’s opening night.
Simard:I think the first time I saw the script was September of 2022.
They have definitely trimmed what I think would make a great evening of trunk songs and trunk scenes.
Thats the thing: everything that was trimmed was great.
Photo: Jenny Anderson
There were no clunkers.
I cannot wait for the 54 Below show with the cut songs.
I love them so much, but it makes more sense not to have them.
Simard:Your favorite was my favorite, right?
The History of Madeline and Helen?
Hilty:Yes, its a Billy Joel-esque song that goes through their whole history.
The cast ofDeath Becomes Heron opening night.
It was very helpful to me understanding the relationship.
Hilty:These songs are going to be studied in musical theater classes.
Theyre just that good.
Photo: Jenny Anderson
And I think its so helpful that both Julia and Noel are performers.
They understand the other side of it so much.
Did you have a lot of opportunities to put some of yourselves into the script?
Photo: Jenny Anderson
Simard:Yes, were all over the place.
I dont want to give it away, but theres one spot to watch out for.
How much of the show changed during its Chicago tryout?
Photo: Jenny Anderson
That is not the story we are telling.
It works like gangbusters and stops the show every night, so were really leaning into that.
Thats a very sophisticated, subtle nut to crack.
Simard:Isnt that great?
I could see it scaled down in schools across the country forever and still be hilarious.
Hilty:I would die to see a girl doDeath Becomes Her, Jrfor thejuniorgays, honey.
Simard:Megan and I will come to your school if you do it.
Whats your favorite thing about the other to play off of?
Simard:Youve never seen two actresses listen with their eyeballs more than Megan Hilty and Jennifer Simard.
Its a science, and comedy in particular is a science.
What information are you communicating with your eyes?
Simard:In act two, were having a physical fight with one another.
Right after the gunshot, just as you might imagine, its a very physical scene.
Theaters are inherently dangerous places, even though were in the safest hands in the world.
You have to be careful.
We have five calls twice a week.
The cast ofDeath Becomes Heron opening night.
I went home from seeing a preview performance and immediately put onClue.
What happened to spookiness?
Hilty:Those are my favorite movies:Clue,Death Becomes Her, The Princess Bride.
There is a heightened, campy reality to all of them.
Of course you went home and watchedClue, because its the same tone.
Theres a spooky, slightly dangerous element, but youre never scared, even though people are dying.
The music tells you that its going to be fine, that its just silly.
Its hard to do, especially in live theater.
Well,scary, is hardspooky, not as much.
But what other shows call for it?
It takes a really special story to have that element in it.
Im so glad were opening when we are; its my favorite season.
I agree with Megan.
Its hard to do scary, but spooky, when done right, can leave things to the imagination.
When did you realize these things were campy?
I feel like theres always a turn when you learn that word, and start seeing it everywhere.
Hilty:Only recently.
Its really hard to capture the definition of camp.
You cant venture to be campy; thats the thing.
Sometimes youdohave to comment on something to make it work, but thats what I mean about science.
Comedy, camp, whatever you want to call it: its a science and its extremely delicate.
Hilty:Right, its theideaof a lamp.
And how do you achieve it when you actually have the resources to have it be fabulous?
Because the whole idea is that its supposed to be theideaof something fabulous.
We actually have things that are worth tens of thousands of dollars that were wearing, that were seeing.
I dont know if I can describe it, but its working, right?
Simard:Some of it is just combined with comedy in general, to be honest.
You dont move when someone else has a punchline.
Sometimes its really important to underplay and lay off of something and notpushto an audience.
If you venture to make something funny, everyone can smell that a mile away.
Plant your feet, look the other person in the eye, and tell the truth.
Hilty:I feel like that was a note for me… Simard:Thats why we get along so well.
Youre assuming that it has.
Did you kill her?
Simard: …in size and weight, and clothes and wrinkles, what was that like for you?
I said, Well, everything changed when I got my hump removed and came down from my belltower.
I started doing Botox in my mid-20s so that nothing would even have a chance to set in.
I started poisoning myself because I knew that I was going to be punished later if I didnt.
Im thinking, yes, its a funny song, but its based on truth.
Its torture because, even if she does all that stuff, theyre still going to treat her badly.
At what point do we say enough?
And I want to be really clear that just because you have a procedure doesnt mean you hate yourself.
What am I willing to do now, and why?
TheresSunset Blvd.across from that, and ads forThe Substanceall over New York.
These themes are pretty eternal.
Do you think anything has changed, in 2024, about how were approaching them?
Women are starting to reject that.
There are certain things we didnt look at as much in the early 90s that we do now.
Theres no fat suit in our show.
The movie is a wonderful film, but its something important we dont do today.
It doesnt change your shape, it brings you youth and beauty.
Simard:And itsyourperception of beauty: howyoufeel you look and feel your best.
Megan, you have a line about that, right?
How do you fit this show into your life, or career?
Ive dealt with this before.
I know how to do this.
It feels like Im in the right place.
Ive never felt so joyful to come to work.
I feel like Ive learned things from every other job to apply to this one, in some way.
Now, unless you remember the second thing, Jennifer…?
Simard:I do, but I think thats a good place to end it.
Hilty:You dont want to talk about menopause some more?
This conversation has been edited and condensed.
For Hilty: Hair and makeup, Bruce Wayne.
For Future Reference vintage ring.
For Simard: Hair, Dom Forletta; makeup, Amanda Thesen.
Styling for both, Jake Sokoloff.
