In the new Broadway musical “Death becomes her“, a so-so movie from 1992 gets a great makeover.

Headlining Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn and a host of special effects, the film followed two vain women in their desperate quest for eternal youth and beauty – with a supernatural twist. The black comedy, directed by Robert Zemeckis, received mixed reviews and a mediocre BO, but there was something about its mix of camp and surreal, body-contorting special effects that developed over the years.

Now, in a big glow-up produced by Universal Theatrical Group, the story has been recreated, updated and reborn by a skilled creative team led by director Christopher Gattelli as a major Broadway musical. The transformative difference between the two is that the characters are now free to be much more extravagant in a musical-comedy way – with the emphasis on comedy – that much better matches the boldness of the death-defying premise.

The show, which ran in Chicago, signals that it will be much more entertaining and musically clever from the start. It opens with a glamorous unveiling of Michelle Williams (formerly of Destiny’s Child) as the mysterious, crowd-teasing and extravagantly dressed sorceress Viola van Horn (Isabella Rossellini in the film), backed by an ensemble of hot dancers, all tantalizingly dressed.

It is quickly followed by an over-the-top number from the fictional musical “Me, Me, Me” featuring Megan Hilty simply smashing as the narcissistic star Madeline Ashton (Streep in the film). Kicking off “For the Gaze” — the pun on the word “gays” very much intended — Hilty hysterically showcases the diva’s shameless bashing as well as her obsession with the spotlight.

Humor – both black and camp – is key here, unlike the often leaden film which relied on special effects rather than a sharp script and comedic direction for its wow factor.

Everything in the musical is fantastically bigger and bolder, from Derek McLane’s goth-meets-Hollywood excess design to Paul Tazewell’s stunning costumes to Doug Besterman’s lush orchestrations. Charles LaPointe’s wigs are also amazing. The melodic score and witty lyrics are by Julia Mattison and Noel Carey, making for an impressive Broadway arc.

The musical’s wildly funny book is by Broadway newbie Marco Pennette (TV’s “Caroline in the City,” “Ugly Betty”) who gives the film much more than a lick; he gives it a big boost. The plot is cleaner, the characters are clearer and the pace and laughs are now non-stop.

The script follows the film’s broad lines: Arriving backstage after Madeline’s show is her longtime doormat of a friend, Helen Sharp (Jennifer Simard takes on the Hawn role) and her fiance Ernest Menville (Christopher Sieber, in a role played in the film by Bruce Willis), a plastic surgeon with an altruistic calling. Lustful Madeline steals away Ernest, sending Helen into a downward spiral.

Ten years later, the aging Madeline has discovered that her star has fallen and she has resorted to doing infomercials for beauty creams, now playing the “before” to a lithe star’s “after”. Helen, on the other hand, has blossomed from gloomy to dazzling, and is now a best-selling author bent on revenge and wooing Ernest.

Desperate, Madeline finds a potion that will give her eternal youth – but with some Faustian warnings. Now revived, Madeline confronts Helen, who has also swallowed the elixir, and wild smackdowns and makeovers ensue. (Illusionist Tim Clothier playfully recreates the film’s grotesque, neck-wrenching battle injuries.)

That sense of fun and ego for its own sake is the show’s go-to, with Pennette and company eschewing deeper meaning or morality in their cynical storytelling. There is no talk of “inner beauty,” and even a whiff of sentiment takes hold. Depending on your comic tastes, you’re either on board with this ultimate vanity project or you’re not.

Veteran choreographer Gattelli finally earns his major Broadway direction in assured and spectacular fashion, providing choreo that ranges from sly showbiz schlock to slinky sensuality.

Hilty and Simard are perfectly paired, with the former going hysterically broad as Simard offers a contrasting approach, effectively leaning into Helen’s seething madness. Both make the most of their solo songs: “Falling Apart” for Hilty, “Madeline” for Simard. Together, they take the 11 o’clock number, “Alive Together,” to withering heights.

As the milquetoast Earnest, Sieber deftly plays the straight man with plenty of comic reaction shots and gets a star turn in his heart-melting number, “The Plan.” Williams gives a sexy iciness as Viola and delivers the power notes from the dark side.

Josh Lamon also gets big laughs as Madeline’s beleaguered personal assistant. (Lamon — and Taurean Everett as Viola’s condescending major domo — are so much more than the “ensemble” listing they get in the show’s credits.)

The show’s potential shelf life looks long for New York as well as for the road, always hungry for a hit. After all, desperate dreams of youth, beauty and immortality are always favorites.