Megan Hilty channels Meryl Streep in more ways than one.
The Tony-nominated actress currently stars in the musical adaptation of Robert Zemeckis’ 1992 dark comedy. Death becomes herplaying fictional star Madeline Ashton — the role Steep made famous on screen.
It’s a juicy character that Hilty sinks her teeth into, much like Streep did. Both play Madeline as a vain, poor, ego-driven diva, obsessed with fame and beauty and uncomfortably condescending to everyone around her, milking every moment of dialogue and physicality for laughs.
So it’s only natural that theatergoers will walk into the Lunt-Fontanne Theater in New York expecting a comparison of the two. But perhaps to nip it in the bud—and to give credit to Streep and a little Easter egg for fans—Hilty has a gift for fans in Playroom.
In the program distributed to attendees, Hilty replaced her biography with Streep’s.
Death becomes her Broadway hits! See the cast of the musical alongside Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn and the original movie stars
Broadway program ‘Death Becomes Her’.
Fans discovered the hilarious replacement on Wednesday, October 23, when the musical had its first premiere. PEOPLE were there taking pictures of the “Who’s Who in the Cast” page.
“Megan Hilty (Madeline Ashton) has been hailed as ‘the best actress of her generation,'” it says before listing a handful of Streep’s credits. “Her countless career accolades include 9 Golden Globes and 21 Academy Award nominations, winning three for Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), Sophie’s Choice (1982) i The Iron Lady (2011). President Barack Obama awarded her the National Medal of Arts and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She won the Cecil B. DeMille Golden Globe Award in 2017. Credits: Mamma Mia!, The devil wears Prada, Death becomes her, Postcards from the edge, It’s complicated, Doubt, From Africa, Julie & Julia, and Wild river.”
The biography ends with another joke: the inclusion of a television quote from Hilty’s biography: Breakfan-favorite NBC’s two-season series about the making of a Broadway play.
There’s also a related Instagram page: @ThisIsTotallyMegansRealBio, which is full of photos from Streep’s storied career.
Death becomes her Musical Heads to Broadway in First Look at Official Show Image (Exclusive)
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Megan Hilty (left) and Meryl Streep (right), both in ‘Death Becomes Her’.
Franz Szony; Cinematheque/Shutterstock
Megan Hilty would ‘fall on the floor’ if Meryl Streep contacted her Death becomes her The Musical (Exclusive)
Of course, Hilty has many list-worthy accomplishments. Death becomes her is Hilty’s fourth Broadway credit. Except she played Glinda, the good witch Wickedin which she originated the role of Doralee Rhodes 9 to 5: The Musical and received a Tony nomination for the role of Brooke Ashton Noises off.
On the screen, Hilty acted Patsy & Loretta on Lifetime, for which she was nominated for a Critics Choice Award for Best Actress. Her other television credits include Hulu difficult people the final season of CBS A good woman and its spinoff, Good fight.
She is married to singer/songwriter Brian Gallagher. The couple has two children: daughter Viola Philomena, 10, and son Ronan Laine, 7.
Hilty previously told PEOPLE that she would “drop to the floor” if she heard about the role from Streep.
“I don’t know if I could handle it,” she said. “I don’t know her and I can’t imagine she has time to talk to me. But I’m sure they’re aware this is going on.”
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Megan Hilty and Jennifer Simard in the Broadway play ‘Death Becomes Her’.
Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade, 2024
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Death becomes her is now in previews, and the premiere is scheduled for Thursday, November 21.
The musical features music by the writing team of Julia Mattison and Noel Carey and a book by Marc Pennette. Tony Award winner Christopher Gattelli directs and choreographs.
In addition to Hilty, the musical also stars Tony nominees Jennifer Simard and Christopher Sieber, as well as Destiny’s Child star Michelle Williams, in her first original Broadway role.
Tickets for Death becomes her they are on sale now.
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Source: HIS Education