The absurdly entertaining film comedy Death Becomes Her has earned cult-classic status since its release in 1992. With Oscar-winning special effects that allowed Meryl Streep’s head to swivel 180 degrees and Goldie Hawn’s torso to survive a shotgun blast, the movie was ahead of its time in poking fun at the pressure women feel to remain youthful and beautiful — not to mention its hilarious depiction of rivalrous divas trying to outwit each other. Now this tale of the price of eternal life is headed to Broadway in a highly anticipated new musical comedy set to begin previews October 23 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.

“It’s a magical, larger-than-life story,” says composer and lyricist Noel Carey, who chatted with Broadway Direct in a joint interview with his Death Becomes Her writing partner, Julia Mattison. Book writer Marco Pennette chimed in during a separate interview, noting, “The secret in making a musical is finding something that sings. This is an over-the-top fable that seemed exactly right for the stage.”

For those who have forgotten the can-you-top-this plot of Death Becomes Her, the dueling leading ladies played by Streep and Hawn are Madeline Ashton, a narcissistic actress, and Helen Sharp, a timid writer. After Madeline steals Helen’s fiancé, a meek plastic surgeon named Ernest (played on screen by Bruce Willis), Helen seeks revenge with the help of a magic potion that eventually unites the frenemies in life after death. The new musical stars a trio of Tony-nominated Broadway headliners: Megan Hilty as Madeline, Jennifer Simard as Helen, and Christopher Sieber as Ernest. As for the source of that mysterious potion, pop star Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child kicks off the show in thrilling fashion as Viola Van Horn, who promises, “I have a secret you would die for!”

The sheer theatricality of the material attracted Mattison and Carey, who began collaborating on music and comedy more than a decade ago as students at Emerson College. “The thing I love most is having two wild and messy leading women who are breaking free of the tropes of trying to look young and perfect, which leads to actual chaos and murder,” Mattison says with a laugh. “It’s refreshing to see them just go at it.”

The musical is fueled by the inspired pairing of Hilty, best known for TV’s Smash, and Simard, a Broadway scene stealer in Once Upon a One More Time and Company, among many others. “They have unbelievable comedy chops, unbelievable voices, and they’re both phenomenal actors, so just watching them together is a gift,” Mattison says. Adds Carey, “I guarantee you haven’t seen Megan play a part like this — she’s bringing something totally new.” Pennette fell in love with Simard’s comic performance as a nun in Disaster! and pitched her to play the conniving Helen. “I’m hoping this show makes Jenn a big, big star because she deserves it,” he says.

Death Becomes Her has been in the works for almost eight years, since Pennette, a veteran writer of TV comedies such as Desperate Housewives and Ugly Betty, suggested it to Universal Theatrical Group, which was exploring properties that might work on stage. Universal then took a chance on him, Mattison, and Carey, the latter two making their Broadway debuts as creatives. (Mattison acted in the 2011 Broadway revival of Godspell.) Also debuting as a Broadway director is Christopher Gattelli, the acclaimed choreographer of 17 Broadway shows and a Tony Award winner for Newsies.

“I’ve seen a lot of movie-to-stage adaptations that basically put the script on stage,” Pennette observes. “But we wanted to take this great source material and build on it.” Mattison appreciated the fact that, as she puts it, “the movie is beloved, but not so frozen that we can’t expand it. We wanted to spend more time finding out how these women feel and what they would like to say to each other. Ultimately, it’s a friendship story.” And as Carey points out, “Our show doesn’t replace the movie, which has a great musical score [by Alan Silvestri] that we now get to add to.”

As Broadway newcomers, the Death Becomes Her team felt free to create the kind of musical they wanted to see. “When we met with the producers, we talked about our love for cast albums we could listen to all the way through,” Carey says, “[a score] that sounds deep and connected, that has a fabric to it.” Mattison describes the music as “cinematic and rich — we wanted it to feel lush and full and rooted in what each character would sound like.” Collaborating with Pennette has been a joy, she adds: “As a fan of musical comedy, it’s wonderful to have a laugh-out-loud funny book. It makes me so happy to hear the audience’s rolling laughter throughout the show.”

In addition to comedy and music, Death Becomes Her includes otherworldly illusions echoing those in the film. “I mean, you’re dealing with a magic potion!” Pennette says with a laugh. “I thought we might have to lose some of the effects on stage, but Christopher Gattelli’s team has managed to do the most astounding things. It becomes even more of a spectacle.” The scale of the production adds to the experience, says Carey: “It’s magic happening in front of your face, with a live orchestra playing in real time and a proscenium that’s as big as an IMAX screen. Nothing is more exciting than that.”

After winning rave reviews in Chicago last spring, Death Becomes Her is set to win a new generation of fans on Broadway. “I hope people laugh and enjoy themselves and forget what’s going on outside the theatre,” Pennette says. Echoes Mattison, “I want people to shut the world out and go on a wild, fun, joyful ride with this absurd group of characters. It’s like a trip to a theme park: You just strap in and go on a wonderful adventure.”