This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:01] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Would you want to live forever? Would you? No?

[0:05] Marco Pennette: No. No, absolutely not. I'm not even sure if I want to live past like 90.

[0:09] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Welcome, everybody, to A Musical Theatre Podcast where we discuss the cultural and emotional impact of some of our favorite musicals in theater history. My name is Jeffrey Scott Parsons. You can call me Jeff. Today, we are discussing the musical DEATH BECOMES HER, a brand new Broadway hit this season, and we get to do it with one of the people that has given it new life as a Broadway musical. It's the book writer himself. Marco Pennette has been responsible for so many television shows, I can't even count. He was one of the people responsible for making Ugly Betty, the long-running hit that it was, filled with musical theater performers. Marco, by the way, when are we going to get Becky Newton to do musicals again? Anyway, you can tell me off mic. His first love was musicals, and we're happy he's on Broadway where he belongs. Everyone, please welcome the wonderful Marco Pennette.

[1:15] Marco Pennette: Thanks for having me. This is exciting.

[1:17] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Oh my gosh, I'm so grateful you're here. It's always such a gift to like talk to the people who actually wrote these freaking things, and I'm so, so grateful you're here.

[1:23] Marco Pennette: Writers never get asked to be, so I'm just like...

[1:27] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: My pleasure.

[1:29] Marco Pennette: That's great. This goes out to all writers who might be listening. Please come geek out with me on this show.

[1:35] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: So talk to me about your relationship with musicals, because you have been in Hollywood with TV for a long time. CAROLINE IN THE CITY, right? Didn't you do CAROLINE IN THE CITY?

[1:45] Marco Pennette: Yeah, that's the first show I ever created, and I was really very fortunate. And had musical theater people on there, too. Malcolm Getz.

[1:54] Marco Pennette: I tried to always... It's funny, just a really quick story to that. We wrote like an old lady onto the show, and I really said, let's fly Marilyn Cooper in from New York. Do you know Marilyn Cooper? You're far too young to know Marilyn Cooper, but...

[2:08] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: No, Tony winner from like Woman of the Year, right?

[2:12] Marco Pennette: That's it. Wow, you got it. It was like in the original West Side Story.

[2:17] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Oh, gosh. I don't think I knew that.

[2:19] Marco Pennette: And they were like... I won't say the network. I guess you can figure it out. The show was on NBC. They were like, no, no, there's plenty of older ladies in LA. We don't need to fly someone in and put them up in a hotel. And I was so high on my horse that it had to be Marilyn Cooper. I was like, I'll do it. I'll fly her in. I'll put her up at a hotel. And when you find out how brilliant she was, you'll reimburse me. And they were like, okay.

[2:46] Marco Pennette: She was brilliant. They never reimbursed me.

[2:50] Marco Pennette: But the first part stood. And it was just fun. I always wanted to surround myself by theater people. And I figured, well, at least while I'm doing sitcoms, we can still have theater people on TV. They're amazing actors, because their process is a bit different sometimes from TV actors. And sometimes they actually take their time building a character. The usual, at least in sitcoms, I didn't really do hour-long dramas, they would have to hit the ground running. A sitcom, which I know we're not here to talk about, but you have five days. You read the script Monday. You perform a run-through Tuesday of the entire show. You perform an entire run-through Wednesday. And then Thursday, the cameras show up.

And Friday, you shoot the show. It's like a breakneck speed. But somehow, I guess theater people, from getting to do it every night, the same thing, I guess they are able to just jump in and ground themselves very quickly in that format. I mean, I had Patti LuPone, Linda Lavin, and Jennifer on Mom, the show I did Mom with Allison Janney. And three incredibly different experiences, but I was just so thrilled. It was like my own head, I was doing theater. Since I couldn't do theater, I would fool myself into doing theater.

[4:15] Marco Pennette: But you asked an original question that I didn't even go off of. How I started in theater? They were like, when did the love begin?

[4:24] Marco Pennette: The love began. I mean, my parents took me to see The Wiz when I was like five. And it was fun. I knew The Wizard of Oz, obviously, so I kind of got it. But then I don't know how I got bit. I mean, my dad would get the Sunday New York Times and he'd show me the Al Hirschfeld caricatures of the shows that were coming up or whatever. So I fell in love with that, wrote Al a note, and he had me to his apartment. I'll tell you that later. But oh, gosh, yeah, amazing. I was a big letter writer. I was one of those geeky kids who wrote a lot of letters. And then I still remember the night I cried hysterically, almost to the point of throwing up, when I found out Andrew McCarter was leaving Annie. Okay, that's not where I thought this was going. It was also the night I unknowingly came out to my parents, I think, too.

[5:23] Marco Pennette: Yeah, and then my dad came home the next day. Because when that show opened, again, you couldn't get it. It was like the Hamilton of the 70s. And my dad came home and said, hey, we're from Manhattan, and we lived in Connecticut. He said, I paid scalpers tickets to this damn show. So we're going Wednesday. But the joke is, his scalper tickets were $14 each. And we were like, Oh, my gosh, my heart.

[5:50] Marco Pennette: I know. But I went and we watched it. And I knew I couldn't act. And I knew I couldn't sing. I knew I couldn't dance. But I still wanted to be a part of it. So I think writing and directing was like all that was left. We would go to shows, you know, from Connecticut and Manhattan wasn't a big thing. And we would go on Saturday. So that TKTS line in Times Square, we would see a show probably once every two weeks. I was really like, my parents are really wonderful and opening me up to that. And I would start writing the plays in my bedroom, like my version of whatever play we saw. And I wrote a letter when I was 13 to Hirschfeld, who wrote back and these are the days you write back, you had to actually type and write back.

And he said, Please come to New York, I'd love to meet you. So my folks drove in New York, and we had a great meeting with this guy who seemed like he was 100 back then. I'm sure it was like another 30 years. But I remember his letter said, Come to New York. And we can quaff a flagon of tea. And I was like, I don't know what this guy wants to do to me. I was like, Yeah, no, I would be like, I think we need a chaperone.

[7:06] Marco Pennette: Yeah, exactly. Anyway, but he was great. And it was so amazing to, he talked to my folks mostly, but I don't know, I got a lot of that. That was great. And I also wrote a letter to Hal Prince. And I got a call, we were at dinner at the table, and I got a phone call. And again, back then, you had to get up and go to the phone and answer it. And it was Hal Prince's assistant saying, Mr. Prince would like to meet you. And I was like, I have school and I hung up. And my folks were like, who was that? It was Hal Prince's office. Don't worry about it. I'm not going. And they're like, no, no, no, you can miss school to meet Hal Prince. So again, we went to the city. And we spent about a half hour or 45 minutes with this man.

And he was incredible to the point where he said, when you go to college, I was long term planning. I was like, let's go to NYU because I love New York. He said, if you go to NYU, let me know and I'll get you a job here. So I know my gosh, and he did. I mean, he was amazing.

[8:03] Marco Pennette: At the same time, when I was at NYU, we had to write a TV script as an assignment. So I picked I don't know why I picked a show again, you're too young for, but he's 12 to the viewers. He's a thank you. Appreciate it. It was so called Kate & Allie with Jane Curtin.

[8:23] Marco Pennette: Jane Curtin, right? Yeah. So it's shot in New York is the reason I picked it. It's not where like Stephen Colbert shot now was called the Ed Sullivan theater. So anyway, I turned it in and my teacher was like, this doesn't suck. You know, you should bring it to them. So I was like, Okay, I walked up to the Ed Sullivan theater with my script. And I walked into the production office. And I was like, I got your next script. I don't know what the hell I was doing. I got your next script. And this assistant was behind the desk. And she said, we can accept unsolicited scripts, meaning, of course. So they said, we have a form you have to fill out. I was like, great. So I sat down while she was getting the form.

And these two producers just happened to be walking by in front of me, and they were talking about needing to hire another production assistant. And I stood up and I was like, Judy, I'll do it. And they looked at me, they're like, what do you mean? I was like, I'm dropping the script off, but I really want to be in TV. And they hired me. It was really weird. So I had this Hal Prince gig, and this job on Kate & Allie, you know, the job on Kate & Allie was getting them sandwiches. And sure, much like the job at Hal Prince's company, to be close.

[9:33] Marco Pennette: Yeah. So I mean, you know, it's funny people once my old high school asked me to speak at graduation once and I said, You know what, you should get someone that can give them real advice. You know, my advice is going to be, I was in the right place at the right time. And I don't know if these parents are going to love me telling these kids like, screw school, just try it, go out there and do it. Because that's kind of what I did. When I was working for Kate & Allie, they ended up buying a script of mine. So I was like 19. And again, it's so much luck. But I sold the script to Kate & Allie, I was still working for Hal. And I said to my parents, I'd like to leave school. I'd like a year to go.

But I said, I'm getting so much out of this, that I think this is my calling. And they were both so great. Not many parents would be like, okay, they were like, you know what, follow your creative dream, college will still be there if you fall on your butt and whatever. So I really like hats off to them. Because I don't know if I would do that with my kids. But anyway, so I moved to LA, I told Hal Prince, he was not happy that I was like abandoning theater for television. But I kept on telling him and telling everyone and myself, it's like theater to me. Like, when I got into it, it's like, we do it in front of an audience.

[10:56] Marco Pennette: Well, at that time, sitcoms were in front. I mean, and you had that camera that was capturing the whole performance, head to toe. There were four cameras. So it was that reaction to the audience, like when they didn't get a joke. Or you could also tell if they're not following you. Like you could tell, I'm sure you've been in theater where it's like, we're not with it.

[11:17] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Immediate feedback.

[11:19] Marco Pennette: Yeah, exactly. So I once met an actress, an actress I really, like, really respected. And I was like, she was doing an arc on Frasier. And I said, well, you're on like the top show on TV. But I mean, don't you feel, and she was a real theater actress, multi Tony winner and stuff. I said, don't you feel it's a little like theater? I was lectured for the next hour.

[11:43] Marco Pennette: How dare you, sir.

[11:44] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Exactly. So I wouldn't make that mistake again. But I felt in the writing of it.

[11:49] Marco Pennette: Yeah, it's a fast pace.

[11:52] Marco Pennette: Popping up in my brain, because you were so kind enough to send me the script for Death Becomes Her. And I read it furiously in anticipation for this.

[12:01] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Don't feel that flattered. I'm like, everyone.

[12:04] Marco Pennette: Everybody else has it too. No, but it's so fun. And as I was reading it, and I mean, the jokes per page, you got a high count with this book, which is fun. But it also made me think like, what is the difference between writing a joke in one of like 26 episodes per season of a sitcom on television versus a show on Broadway that's going to run for eight performances a week? Do you like is there more?

[12:50] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Welcome to A Musical Theatre Podcast! Today, we’re diving into the world of DEATH BECOMES HER, a brand-new Broadway hit that’s already made waves with ten Tony nominations. I’m thrilled to have with us the hilarious book writer, Marco Pennette, and one of the hardworking cast members, Kaleigh Cronin.

[13:20] Marco Pennette: Thanks for having me, Jeff! It’s exciting to be here and talk about the show.

[13:50] Kaleigh Cronin: I’m so happy to be here too! It’s been an incredible experience being part of this production.

[14:20] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Marco, let’s start with you. Can you share a bit about the journey of bringing DEATH BECOMES HER to the stage?

[14:50] Marco Pennette: Absolutely! It all began with the original film, which has such a cult following. We wanted to capture that essence while also creating something fresh for the stage.

[15:06] Kaleigh Cronin: And the music really elevates the story. It’s been a joy to perform every night.

[15:20] Marco Pennette: The collaboration with the composers has been fantastic. They really understood the tone we were aiming for.

[15:38] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Kaleigh, as someone who understudies both leading lady roles, what’s that experience like for you?

[15:50] Kaleigh Cronin: It’s a unique challenge! Each character has such distinct personalities, and I love getting to explore both of them.

[16:20] Marco Pennette: Kaleigh brings so much to the table. It’s incredible to see her versatility in those roles.

[16:50] Kaleigh Cronin: Thank you, Marco! It’s all about finding the heart of each character and connecting with the audience.

[17:20] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: What do you think audiences take away from DEATH BECOMES HER?

[17:50] Marco Pennette: I hope they leave with a sense of joy and laughter, but also some deeper reflections on life and mortality.

[18:20] Kaleigh Cronin: Exactly! It’s a fun ride, but there are moments that really resonate on a personal level.

[18:50] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: It sounds like a perfect blend of humor and heart.

[19:20] Marco Pennette: That’s what we aimed for! We wanted to create a show that feels both entertaining and meaningful.

[19:50] Kaleigh Cronin: And the energy in the theater is electric. The audience really gets involved!

[20:20] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: I can’t wait to see it! What’s been the most rewarding part of this process for both of you?

[20:50] Marco Pennette: For me, it’s been seeing the characters come to life through the cast. Their performances bring the story to a whole new level.

[21:05] Kaleigh Cronin: And for me, it’s the camaraderie with the cast and crew. We’re all in this together, and it makes the experience so special.

[21:20] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: That sense of community is so important in theater.

[21:50] Marco Pennette: Absolutely! It’s what makes the long hours and hard work worth it.

[22:20] Kaleigh Cronin: Plus, the audience’s reactions fuel us every night. It’s a beautiful cycle.

[22:50] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: I love that! Before we wrap up, any final thoughts you’d like to share about DEATH BECOMES HER?

[23:20] Marco Pennette: Just that we’re so proud of what we’ve created and can’t wait for more people to experience it.

[23:50] Kaleigh Cronin: Yes! Come see us at the Lunt-Fontaine Theatre. You won’t regret it!

[24:20] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Thank you both for joining me today. It’s been a pleasure to hear about the show and your experiences.

[24:50] Marco Pennette: Thank you for having us!

[25:21] Kaleigh Cronin: Thanks, Jeff!

[25:40] Marco Pennette: I’m so excited to be here and talk about DEATH BECOMES HER.

[26:10] Kaleigh Cronin: Thanks for having us! It’s such a thrill to be part of this show.

[26:40] Marco Pennette: Absolutely! The journey of bringing this musical to life has been incredible.

[27:10] Kaleigh Cronin: I love how the show blends humor with deeper themes. It really resonates with the audience.

[27:40] Marco Pennette: Yes, and the characters are so rich and complex. It’s been a joy to explore them.

[27:45] Kaleigh Cronin: And the music! The score is just fantastic. It really elevates the story.

[27:50] Marco Pennette: I agree! Each song captures the essence of the characters perfectly.

[27:55] Kaleigh Cronin: Plus, performing it eight times a week is such a rewarding experience.

[28:01] Marco Pennette: It really is. The energy from the audience keeps us going.

[28:07] Kaleigh Cronin: And the cast is amazing. Everyone brings something unique to the table.

[28:12] Marco Pennette: We have such a talented group. It feels like a family.

[28:17] Kaleigh Cronin: Definitely! And the backstage camaraderie is just as strong.

[28:22] Marco Pennette: It’s important to have that support, especially during long runs.

[28:27] Kaleigh Cronin: For sure! And the fans have been so supportive, which means the world to us.

[29:02] Marco Pennette: Speaking of fans, the response to the show has been overwhelming.

[29:32] Kaleigh Cronin: It’s so gratifying to see people connect with the story and characters.

[30:02] Marco Pennette: And we’re just getting started! There’s so much more to come.

[30:32] Kaleigh Cronin: I can’t wait to see how audiences continue to react as we evolve.

[30:42] Marco Pennette: Exactly! Each performance feels like a new adventure.

[30:52] Kaleigh Cronin: And the creative team has been so open to feedback, which is refreshing.

[31:02] Marco Pennette: Collaboration is key in this process, and it shows in the final product.

[31:12] Kaleigh Cronin: Absolutely! It’s a true team effort.

[31:22] Marco Pennette: And I think that’s what makes DEATH BECOMES HER special.

[31:32] Kaleigh Cronin: Yes! It’s a show that celebrates life, love, and everything in between.

[31:42] Marco Pennette: And the humor is just the cherry on top.

[31:52] Kaleigh Cronin: It really is! We want people to leave the theatre feeling uplifted.

[32:02] Marco Pennette: That’s the goal! To create an experience that lingers long after the curtain falls.

[32:12] Kaleigh Cronin: And I think we’re achieving that with each performance.

[32:22] Marco Pennette: I couldn’t agree more. It’s a dream come true for all of us involved.

[32:32] Kaleigh Cronin: And I’m so grateful to be part of this journey.

[32:42] Marco Pennette: Thank you for sharing your insights, Kaleigh. It’s been a pleasure.

[32:52] Kaleigh Cronin: Thank you, Marco! I’m excited for what’s next.

[33:02] Marco Pennette: Me too! Let’s keep the momentum going.

[33:12] Kaleigh Cronin: Absolutely! Here’s to many more performances.

[33:22] Marco Pennette: Cheers to that!

[33:32] Kaleigh Cronin: And to all the fans who support us!

[33:42] Marco Pennette: We couldn’t do it without you.

[33:52] Kaleigh Cronin: Thank you for being part of our journey!

[34:02] Marco Pennette: Here’s to DEATH BECOMES HER!

[34:12] Kaleigh Cronin: Yes! Let’s keep celebrating this amazing show.

[34:22] Marco Pennette: And the incredible talent behind it.

[34:32] Kaleigh Cronin: Absolutely! It’s a joy to be part of this community.

[34:42] Marco Pennette: Thank you for having us on the podcast!

[34:52] Kaleigh Cronin: Yes, thank you! It’s been a blast.

[35:02] Marco Pennette: We appreciate the opportunity to share our story.

[35:12] Kaleigh Cronin: And we hope everyone comes to see DEATH BECOMES HER!

[35:22] Marco Pennette: You won’t want to miss it!

[35:32] Kaleigh Cronin: See you at the Lunt-Fontaine Theatre!

[35:42] Marco Pennette: Thank you, everyone!

[35:52] Kaleigh Cronin: Bye!

[36:02] Marco Pennette: Bye!

[36:12] Kaleigh Cronin: Bye!

[36:22] Marco Pennette: Bye!

[36:32] Kaleigh Cronin: Bye!

[36:42] Marco Pennette: Bye!

[36:52] Kaleigh Cronin: Bye!

[37:02] Marco Pennette: Bye!

[37:12] Kaleigh Cronin: Bye!

[37:22] Marco Pennette: Bye!

[37:32] Kaleigh Cronin: Bye!

[37:42] Marco Pennette: Bye!

[37:52] Kaleigh Cronin: Bye!

[38:02] Marco Pennette: Bye!

[38:12] Kaleigh Cronin: Bye!

[38:22] Marco Pennette: Bye!

[38:30] Marco Pennette: Making it new and exciting and fresh and adding, you know, so many other fun elements to it. I have not heard once any audience member who's a fan of the movie come in and not be thrilled with what they see on the stage. Like it is Marco wrote just the funniest script and I think in the Noel Carey and Julia Madison who wrote our score.

[44:36] Kaleigh Cronin: Okay, thank you so much for doing this with me. My gosh, so much fun! Can you tell us how we follow you and everything?

[44:43] Kaleigh Cronin: Follow me at I'm on Instagram @kaleigh_cronin, I believe, and I think that's it. I have a website. I'm like elder millennial, you know, I don't post a bunch. I should post more, but whatever I do post, it's very difficult or, you know, coded backstage antics and my dog. That's about it.

[45:02] Marco Pennette: Which we've all met. Hi, right? Yeah, she was very vocal. She had a lot to say today.

[45:12] Kaleigh Cronin: Listeners, we're not gonna go through the script because it's still a brand new show. You guys need to go out and see it.

[45:19] Marco Pennette: Yeah, so we're not gonna talk through it in the same way that we do some of the older shows.

[45:22] Kaleigh Cronin: Oh.

[45:24] Marco Pennette: We usually go through it. It honestly gets people excited to go and experience it for themselves or even produce it for themselves because some of these older shows don't get done very often and people discover them anew on the pod, and that's really exciting.

[45:40] Kaleigh Cronin: Yeah, I'd really hard not to just put the movie on a stage.

[45:43] Marco Pennette: Well, that's what I wanted to talk about was the movie itself, which is from '92, Robert Zemeckis film. I mean, he had just got off like one of the biggest decades of any filmmaker's career with all of his Back to the Futures and stuff, and then he does this weird dark comedy. I think it was him experimenting with CGI.

[46:03] Kaleigh Cronin: Exactly that. And what I remember from when it came out and I was reading all my little entertainment weeklies was that it was all about the CGI. It won the Academy Award for special effects, and those same special effects went into Jurassic Park just a couple years later. So like it really was groundbreaking in many ways.

[46:26] Marco Pennette: The thing is though, like this movie and Clue were the two comedies that I loved growing up that my family didn't understand why I loved. And then when I got older, I was like, oh, it's 'cause I'm gay.

[46:42] Kaleigh Cronin: Exactly. Exactly. But while Death Becomes Her, you know, was celebrated for its special effects, it didn't get great reviews. It did okay at the box office, but then it's kind of been reclaimed by the queer community ever since.

[46:59] Marco Pennette: Was that how you kind of see it as well? It's funny, I still remember seeing it and thinking, well, the over-the-topness is what was appealing to me. It sings. I know that sounds weird, but it's like you, I said when I wrote the play, I couldn't write some of those scenes because they need to be singing about living forever. It is very musical.

[47:21] Kaleigh Cronin: I mean, on top of having actual musical numbers in it. Yeah, in the first thing, which we do keep in the show. I will say that in a better, the great surprise in a very different way. It's very different later they sing it up, and I don't want to demean Death Becomes Her in any way.

[47:35] Marco Pennette: No, I think it's not a controversial statement to say that it's an imperfect film.

[47:42] Kaleigh Cronin: That's okay. I still want to meet the guys that wrote it. I haven't got to meet them.

[47:46] Marco Pennette: Yeah, really. They came to see the show and I wasn't there. I was in, but I have to get their emails to write my own note 'cause I owe it all to them. There would be no Death Becomes Her without that becomes her.

[47:54] Kaleigh Cronin: Absolutely. There's also like this is such a crazy out there storyline, I still feel, and I would always say it to the cast and the director, and they all got it. See, they were like you have to play this shit real. If the minute you start going Looney Tunes, the show is not tethered in any way. I know that sounds a little odd to say, but I do believe that if you're not convincingly want to decapitate that person, you know, if you treat it like it's a joke, it's a joke.

[48:29] Marco Pennette: Yeah, there's nothing has no gravitas whatsoever.

[48:33] Kaleigh Cronin: So this kind of takes me in two places. Number one, looking at what the film was known for special effects. It was certainly the first thing on my mind when I hear that there's a stage adaptation. How are they going to like create a hole in someone's body or have their head fall off?

[48:50] Marco Pennette: You know, that's it. I mean, good for him. Truly. I would say, can we cut their head off? And he's like, how far do you want the head to fly? He really doesn't know, and not a no guy. He was always kind of guy I always loved him for that.

[49:07] Kaleigh Cronin: And he was there like a huge special effects team or like who's helping create some of these illusions or a few of them?

[49:15] Marco Pennette: You know, and they evolved like a draft evolves. Hmm. What was interesting because at first you go, well, it's universal, you have their entire special effects thing. Special effects in a movie, as you may guess, are very different for what you see on stage.

[49:30] Kaleigh Cronin: Yes, I was a big magic kid. I don't know if you were like, I'd love magic. I used to perform a magic show and yeah, like kids' birthday parties, but they were always easier than they appeared.

[49:41] Marco Pennette: Hmm, I mean the hole in the stomach. I still don't know what how they do it, and I asked the director, he's like, I'm not allowed to tell you. So I'm like, okay.

[49:49] Kaleigh Cronin: Did the cast that assigned forms and shit and stuff like how cool there's that there's the stair fall, which I'd rather people see than talk about.

[49:58] Marco Pennette: Sure, my favorite piece of the entire show. Oh, falling down the stairs.

[50:05] Kaleigh Cronin: But like this is the thing Marco is that it has to be repeatable, and you can't yell cut in order to like piece something together.

[50:14] Marco Pennette: I was, you know, I ran into this funny quote that I want to read from Meryl Streep talking about making the movie. She's very blunt about saying that she hated it because it was so tedious with the special effects. She says whatever concentration you can apply to that kind of comedy is just shredded. You stand there like a piece of machinery. They should get machinery to do it. I loved how it turned out, but it's not fun to act to a lampstand pretend. This is Goldie right here. Oh, no. Sorry, Bob. She went off the mark by five centimeters, and now her head won't match her neck. Like you can't do that.

[50:48] Kaleigh Cronin: If you think of that, like that must have driven her insane because I heard the quote that the reason she did it was to kind of experience what CGI, and then she found out like, you know, Goldie came and saw the show.

[51:04] Marco Pennette: Did she really?

[51:07] Kaleigh Cronin: Meryl sent Megan flowers opening.

[51:13] Marco Pennette: That's really, really sweet note, and Goldie came just a few weeks ago and apparently, again, I was in LA, but she really complimented the writing, which I was like floating.

[51:21] Marco Pennette: Complimented our ending, which is not the same as them. Okay, so then this is the next part is because originally, the Zemeckis film had a totally different ending. Tracy Ullman came in if we remember her and but her character was just eliminated following the ending not testing well, I guess with audiences and so they redid it, but in redoing it a little bit of the, I don't know, humanity or maybe that's the best way to say it was taken out of the story. Was that part of you thinking rethinking the ending? I just thought the ending in the movie, while funny, again, you gotta be careful you don't just do just for funny as the guy that wants to put funny in every line. Yeah, if you don't have that, like I said, gravitas under it, it's just TV plays movies. It's just cotton candy and I would even say especially musical theater where people at some point have to honestly share their feelings through song. Without that vulnerability, it ain't gonna work.

[52:28] Kaleigh Cronin: Exactly, and I could get it in the last scene. I mean, I don't want to give it away, but there's nothing in there that actually talks about their wrinkles being their story and things like that, and that's what the show is about. Yes, frenemies is there, but a lot of shows, I mean, Wicked to trend frenemies. This could be marketed as a very twisted Wicked. I, you know, I was running around saying that a lot during, yeah, in a negative way. Oh sure, who's to like? Like I was surprised Kristen signed on initially so easily because I was like, just did this, but it became through the course of the eight years about much more just in terms of paying the devil man. I mean, giving up your soul for the devil and would you want to live forever?

[53:18] Marco Pennette: No, no, no, absolutely not. I'm not even sure if I want to live past like 90. No, I think, um, listen, we're not changing the world, but we'll hopefully make you and maybe I won't get that facelift. Maybe my husband will love me just the way I am.

[53:37] Kaleigh Cronin: It's so true, I think we also are at the point now. I mean, we have gone through all of the conversations and they're important and I absolutely approve of them from my standpoint of if this is going to make you feel better, go ahead. We have science, you know, everyone deserves to look their best. That being said, let's also be real about the fact that my little niece is watching YouTubers who are 25 and have filler. I'm like, not necessary, you know?

[54:08] Marco Pennette: Yeah, I feel like where we are screwing that up because you've obviously you've seen, you know, the people you've seen the people that have gone too far. I, the story is I wrote on the liner notes of the album, but like I was at a dinner party recently and this actress was a little late. We're all sitting at the table and she came running in with her husband. It was a plastic surgeon, a little late, a little blood. Yeah, like you have blood? He gave me a little touch-up in the car. Like if that's not too far, I don't know what it's.

[54:41] Kaleigh Cronin: Sorry, I'm like I'm showing over here. It's really funny.

[54:45] Marco Pennette: So that's, I mean, mothers will do this in line to pick up their kids at school if they could. I mean, and men too, I don't wanna say it's just women.

[54:54] Kaleigh Cronin: Oh, absolutely. I'm looking at you gays.

[54:57] Marco Pennette: And yeah, I mean I can't say who, but one of my friends was slightly involved in that becomes her. Very thin would have that cold thing done freezing his back. Sure. I was just breathing. I gave Chris Sieber one speech about these procedures can be dangerous. You don't need blah blah blah blah early in the show and the Megan character just dismisses it easily. But that is the show and I also I wrote this to really make people laugh. First and foremost, make people laugh and kind of because of our the timeliness of when this opened, kind of forget the world outside the theater. I know it sounds corny.

[55:35] Kaleigh Cronin: Do you not at all? Please entertain me, please.

[55:50] Marco Pennette: Entertain me. You can come and forget what's happening out there for two hours, then we've done our job. And I would ask people in information, like I would add, I remember us in a straight couple like, are you guys liking this? Like we love it. We flew here from like North Carolina for our anniversary. Oh, I know, I was like what fan-freaking-tastic. And yeah, and we had a lot more of those. We did have, there's one cum joke in it and I did watch an old couple just get up right after it was said and walk out and I was like, no, no, no. That's the only cum joke in the whole show.

[56:28] Kaleigh Cronin: That was too much for them.

[56:33] Marco Pennette: And just if you are bringing, it's could watch it too. If you explain that one joke in the script, it is spelled co-me. So everybody needs to get their minds out of the gutter. Okay. Is it really? Yeah, it is. I think so in the song, right? Isn't it in the song? Well, in between the song, she has that dialogue about it, but that's great. That's great.

[57:00] Marco Pennette: Anyway, um, Jensen Moore makes it note by no mistake. What is, I'm sure, I'm sure I'll put it this way. She's drinking a glass of water. So, yeah, so I think, um, I really wanted to go back to musical comedy. Yeah, and it became not a bad word. It was just a word we didn't see a lot lately. Actually, we've been seeing a lot more just open just now. I mean, Betty Boop and Smash and I'm thrilled truly because I want to entertain people like that's ultimately what I get the high from is not people honestly coming after a show and telling me, oh, you know, I feel pensive.

[57:30] Kaleigh Cronin: Have you used people do though after shows now?

[57:34] Marco Pennette: No, this when I was going to theater as a...

[57:37] Kaleigh Cronin: Do you mean like just like social media and stuff?

[57:41] Marco Pennette: It was, but they're critical. Oh gosh, people give reviews now. It's not like, oh yeah, go see it. I liked it. Well, the book is good. They were gonna see script. They say the book. I was like, oh, of course very, you know, these are true patrons of the theater. That's, but um, look I love that this kind of weird movie directed by a straight guy that gay people ended up like taking on as a part of our identity has now like become gayer thanks to people like you and I just I think it's delightful, absolutely delightful and I can't wait to see it because on the page I could visualize everything and also there are things I'm like, I don't know how they're doing this. I really need to see it. I can't wait to see it.

[58:27] Kaleigh Cronin: Um, you would do plan to go back to New York?

[58:31] Marco Pennette: I mean, I am so overdue after being on in Hawaii for so many years. I need to go and see a lot of stuff. I'm a little embarrassed but it takes a while.

[58:41] Kaleigh Cronin: You're running for a while and you'll get it. Um, and onto the next one now. I'm like, oh are you working on new stuff?

[58:49] Marco Pennette: I mean, I write pilots for TV to put my kids through college and I'm trying to get a musical because I just love that process. It's like summer camp.

[58:59] Kaleigh Cronin: Yeah.

[58:59] Marco Pennette: It's like summer camp with laughing all day to go back and do it again with another show and people say like would you write another movie and which would you adapt? Another movie would you do a book which is to an original? I'd be kind of open for any of it. I, my hats off to the original book writers because I learn now those titles on a marquee mean something. I mean, maybe happy ending an original, I mean, they happen, but I just feel like you know, you need to see Snoopy on a marquee.

[59:30] Kaleigh Cronin: Oh, I know Snoopy. You know what I mean? I will spend $200 a ticket.

[59:34] Marco Pennette: Especially when it's that expensive. Exactly. Model has to change a little bit and I just because I make nothing on Death Becomes Her. This truly was for the love of it. Everyone's like you're gonna buy your New York apartment stuff. I'm like, I'm waiting. I'm waiting. Not now. Um, that's crazy because you got, you've been open. I thought like once like the weekly sums would be coming and you'd get a little...

[59:57] Kaleigh Cronin: You need to pay back the investment.

[1:00:02] Marco Pennette: Yeah, I guess. That money. Oh, that's crazy.

[1:00:05] Marco Pennette: Spielberg needs it. Steven Spielberg, who's a producer of the show, which I didn't know until opening night and he's there like I'm like with Kate, with Kate Capshaw. I think Mark Platt is a producer's son. I guess they're all universal family. It really does apply. It takes a village to make a Broadway musical, you know, it's a put their hand it. That's, I mean, it's like the collaborations incredible.

[1:00:26] Kaleigh Cronin: You know what? I feel is not in theater and then maybe this is unpopular.

[1:00:31] Marco Pennette: Yeah, I told you I wrote at the beginning of this interview. I wrote Hirschfeld and he invited me to see him. I wrote Hal Prince, he gave me a job. I wrote Jack Hoff says so I don't think you'd know, but he directed the original Elephant Man. Okay, you didn't want to meet me, but he wrote me a really nice note encouraging me. There's no more mentors, I feel.

[1:00:49] Kaleigh Cronin: Well, that's how I feel about...

[1:00:52] Marco Pennette: Yeah, I mean even graduating college, you know, you're supposed to graduate with all of these connections and things and I was like, I kind of feel like I just got kicked out and we're like have fun.

[1:01:05] Kaleigh Cronin: Where'd you go to school?

[1:01:11] Marco Pennette: Oh, I went to BYU and they didn't, they're not standing there wait. I mean we did, we had like we had a New York showcase and we went and you know met agents and they all said the exact same thing, which is call me when you get here, you know, like what are they gonna do? But there weren't any relationships and good. I think we owe it. I mean in TV and I'll go back to that a lot, you know, a lot of these guys getting us lunch, they wouldn't be TV writers and they would always have their scripts ready. No, just I'll just say a lot of people wouldn't read them and I'm like if we don't help them, who was supposed to help them? And like I said, Hal and all those other people, they went out of their way. I just feel we need more of those people. So I'll read it. I just think we have to.

[1:02:00] Kaleigh Cronin: That's so sweet. What a beautiful way to end this. Thank you so much, Marco, for chatting with me today.

[1:02:03] Marco Pennette: Thank you.

[1:02:04] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: As always, if you have recommendations for shows you'd like us to cover on A Musical Theatre Podcast, you can always email me at amusicalpodcast@gmail.com. Don't forget to follow us on social media. We're on Instagram, we're on TikTok, and we have Patreon! For those special enough to join our community, they're at patreon.com/amusicalpodcast. You get bonus episodes, you get a fun little essay every time a new episode comes out on the main feed, plus ways to vote for upcoming episodes. What? Yep, we're going to the flop shop again. So many fun things. Join us on Patreon!

[1:02:39] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: We also have our TeePublic store, great designs there that we put on lots of products and the profits we receive from that go to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. More than anything, and I mean this, thank you so much for being with us. I love the conversations we have here and I love when I hear from you because I know you're out there listening. Marco, can you tell us how to go see you in Death Becomes Her?

[1:03:01] Marco Pennette: So we're at the Lunt-Fontaine Theatre on West 46th Street and I believe you can go to deathbecomesher.com to look for tickets or walk up to the box office like in the old...

[1:03:14] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Exactly. Let's get that line around the block. Once you get done seeing the show, I need y'all to give a review online in which you praise the book writer, Marco, 'cause we need to get him a Tony nom.

[1:03:25] Marco Pennette: Thank you, and you let me know when you see it 'cause I'm gonna know what you thought.

[1:03:28] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: I will, I will. I love to everybody out there. Thank you so much for listening and remember if you want...

[1:03:34] Marco Pennette: What is it? What is the name of the opening number again? If you want perfect...

[1:03:43] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: And I know it's still a new score, but I think that by the time everyone listens to this, the cast album will be out April 17th.

[1:03:50] Marco Pennette: Thanks, Marco.