
How Christopher Gattelli crafted Broadway’s ‘Death Becomes Her’ and made it a Tonys powerhouse
When he was first asked to lead the Broadway hit musical “Death Becomes Her,” director and choreographer Christopher Gattelli loved it, but refused to work on the big, splashy opening number. It was just too delicious. So Gattelli worked out everything else about how to put Robert Zemeckis’ 1992 comic cult classic onto a stage and only then turned to the brassy song, “For the Gaze,” a winking nod to gay men. What Gattelli crafted is an opening number for the ages: Mid-song costume changes, spangly jumpsuits, tuxedos, high-kicking Vegas showgirls, a body double doing somersaults and a Liza Minnelli cameo.