A potion promising eternal youth, two feuding frenemies, and a body count worthy of a horror-comedy have landed at Omaha's Orpheum Theater this week. Death Becomes Her, the Tony Award-winning musical comedy based on the 1992 film of the same name, follows actress Madeline Ashton and her longtime frenemy Helen Sharp as their rivalry spirals out of control.
According to KETV, the production runs at the Orpheum from Oct. 28 through Nov. 1, while Ticket Omaha lists the Omaha engagement as beginning Oct. 27 and continuing through Nov. 1 — accounts that differ slightly on the exact opening date. Either way, local audiences have only a short window to catch the show before it moves on. The story follows Madeline and Helen as they cross paths with Viola Van Horn, a mysterious woman whose secret potion promises eternal youth — with consequences, per Ticket Omaha's account of the plot.
A Tony Winner Behind the Choreography
The touring production is directed and choreographed by Christopher Gattelli, a Tony Award winner, per the same account from Ticket Omaha. The stage adaptation brings the film's dark humor, outrageous characters and larger-than-life premise to live theater, according to KETV's reporting. Nasia Thomas plays Viola Van Horn and Louis A. Williams Jr. plays Chagall in the touring cast, according to Playhouse Square, the venue that hosted the tour's September launch in Cleveland.
Thomas and Williams sat down with KETV Newswatch 7's Waverle Monroe. In a separate interview with BroadwayWorld, Thomas described her path to the stage, noting she grew up in Virginia's Hampton Roads area, attended the Governor's School for the Arts, and earned her BFA in musical theater from Elon University in 2015. She also reflected on the state of representation in the industry, telling the outlet, “I definitely think progress is being made. But there's still a lot more progress to be made.”
From Broadway Hit to National Tour
Death Becomes Her opened on Broadway on Nov. 21, 2024, and ran for more than 650 performances over 20 months, selling over 900,000 tickets before closing June 28, per Playhouse Square's account. The Broadway production received 10 Tony nominations and won Best Costume Design of a Musical in 2025; Cleveland.com similarly reports 10 nominations, with the sole win going to costume designer Paul Tazewell. The musical is based on the 1992 Universal Pictures film, a story Playhouse Square traces to writers David Koepp and Martin Donovan and director Robert Zemeckis.
The first national tour launched at Playhouse Square with performances running Sept. 12 through Oct. 3, before heading toward Omaha. CBS News frames the production as part of a broader wave of Hollywood films reimagined as Broadway musicals.
What to Know Before the Curtain Rises
The Omaha production runs two hours and 30 minutes, including a 15-minute intermission, according to Ticket Omaha, and is recommended for audiences ages 12 and older due to mature themes. The venue also notes that construction near Omaha Performing Arts venues may affect traffic and parking, advising attendees to allow extra time before curtain.
For patrons seeking accessibility accommodations, the Oct. 31 performance at 2 p.m. is designated as the ASL-interpreted and audio-described show, and a Braille program book will be available at the house manager's desk at every performance, per Ticket Omaha. Tickets for the Omaha run are available at ticketomaha.com.
