Lupone vs Ebersole
A Broadway pairing for the ages, War Paint pits Patti LuPone against Christine Ebersole in this powerful tale of cosmetics giants Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein. This glamorous new musical follows the trajectories of these two driven women, who despite carving out similarly successful careers in a business dominated by men, truly loathed each other. This is the first time that two-time Tony winners LuPone (Evita, Gypsy) and Ebersole (42nd Street, Grey Gardens) have shared the Broadway stage, and we expect the charisma levels to be through the roof!
Originally scheduled to end performance's December 30, War Paint has moved their closing date to November 5. This allows Patti LuPone to have necessary and immediate hip replacement surgery, we wish her a speedy recovery!
Chicago's Biggest Hit
War Paint arrives on Broadway following an acclaimed Chicago run last year, where it became the highest grossing show in the Goodman Theatre's history. It was created by composer Scott Frankel, lyricist Michael Korie and playwright Doug Wright, all of whom previously collaborated on the Tony-winning Grey Gardens musical. Michael Grief (Rent, Next to Normal) directs, while the choreography comes courtesy of Tony winner Christopher Gattelli (Newsies).
What is war Paint About?
Based on Lindy Woodhead's 2003 book of the same name, War Paint tracks the meteoric rise of Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein, two women who rose to the top of the cosmetics industry, and developed a truly fearsome rivalry. By constantly striving to one-up the other, they broke down boundaries in male-dominated boardrooms and social strata, and paved the way for generations of female entrepreneurs to come.