''War Paint'' is a
musical
Musical is the adjective of music.
Musical may also refer to:
* Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance
* Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...
with music by
Scott Frankel
Scott David Frankel (born May 6, 1963) is an American composer.
Career Early life
Frankel began his music education taking piano lessons with Betty Belkin in Cleveland, Ohio. He attended Interlochen Arts Camp, Hawken School (‘81) and graduated f ...
, lyrics by
Michael Korie
Michael Korie (born April 1, 1955) is an American librettist and lyricist whose writing for musical theater and opera includes the musicals ''Grey Gardens'' and '' Far From Heaven'', and the operas ''Harvey Milk'' and ''The Grapes of Wrath''. His ...
, and a book by
Doug Wright
Douglas Wright (born December 20, 1962) is an American playwright, librettist, and screenwriter. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2004 for his play ''I Am My Own Wife''.
Early years
Wright was born in Dallas, Texas. He attended and ...
. It is based both on
Lindy Woodhead's 2004 book ''War Paint'' and on the 2007
documentary film
A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional film, motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". Bill Nichols (film critic), Bil ...
''The Powder & the Glory'' by Ann Carol Grossman and Arnie Reisman.
The musical focuses on the lives of and rivalry between 20th-century
female entrepreneurs Elizabeth Arden
Elizabeth Arden (born Florence Nightingale Graham; December 31, 1881 – October 18, 1966) was a Canadian-American businesswoman who founded what is now Elizabeth Arden, Inc., and built a cosmetics empire in the United States. By 1929, s ...
and
Helena Rubinstein
Helena Rubinstein (born Chaja Rubinstein; December 25, 1870 – April 1, 1965) was a Polish and American businesswoman, art collector, and philanthropist. A cosmetics entrepreneur, she was the founder and eponym of Helena Rubinstein Incorporat ...
.
Overview
The musical relates the rivalry between two important women of the
cosmetics industry
The cosmetic industry describes the industry that manufactures and distributes cosmetic products. These include colour cosmetics, like foundation and mascara, skincare such as moisturisers and cleansers, haircare such as shampoos, conditioners a ...
, Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein, from the 1930s to the 1960s. Elizabeth Arden was the daughter of a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
farmer and presented her products as emblems of an upper-class life of comfort. Helena Rubinstein, from
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
, "emphasized science", promising an "exotic look." That was "code for Jewish" according to Scott Frankel.
Doug Wright noted: "Together, they not only forged an industry, but a way of life...They absolutely shattered glass ceilings as women in industry."
[Mellini, Michael]
"Applying War Paint: An Acclaimed Creative Team Comes Together for the World Premiere Musical"
goodmantheatre.org, May 13, 2016 Frankel, explaining the musical style, said: "I'm a huge fan of music from the 1930s, '40s, '50s and '60s and, without making it a pastiche, I soaked my brain in the fluids of those periods to see what absorbed naturally."
[
]
Productions
On November 12, 2015 the Goodman Theatre
Goodman Theatre is a professional theater company located in Chicago's Loop. A major part of the Chicago theatre scene, it is the city's oldest currently active nonprofit theater organization. Part of its present theater complex occupies the lan ...
in Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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announced its hosting of the world premiere of ''War Paint'' which under the direction of Michael Greif
Michael Greif (born ca. 1959 in Brooklyn, New YorkWelsh, Anne Marie, "New York and family call Michael Greif home", ''The San Diego Union-Tribune'', October 10, 1999, p.E-1) is an American stage director. He has won three Obie Award, Obie Awards a ...
previewed from June 28, 2016 prior to its official July 18-August 21, 2016 run. Composer Scott Frankel, lyricist Michael Korie, and bookwriter Doug Wright had previously worked together on the 2006 Broadway musical ''Grey Gardens
''Grey Gardens'' is a 1975 American documentary film by Albert and David Maysles. The film depicts the everyday lives of two reclusive, upper-class women, a mother and daughter both named Edith Beale, who lived in poverty at Grey Gardens, a ...
''. The production starred Patti LuPone
Patti Ann LuPone (born April 21, 1949) is an American actress and singer best known for her work in musical theater. She has won three Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards, two Grammy Awards, and was a 2006 inductee to the American Theater Hall of Fa ...
as Rubinstein and Christine Ebersole
Christine Ebersole (born February 21, 1953) is an American actress and singer. She has appeared in film, television, and on stage. She starred in the Broadway musicals '' 42nd Street'' and ''Grey Gardens'', winning two Tony Awards. She has co- ...
as Arden, with John Dossett
John Dossett (born April 15, 1958) is an American actor and singer.
Early life and education
Dossett attended Mount Pleasant High School in Wilmington, Delaware, from 1972 through 1976, where he was an announcer for the school's radio station, ...
as Tommy Lewis, Arden's husband, Douglas Sills
Douglas Howard Sills (born July 5, 1960) is an American actor.
Early life
Sills was born in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Rhoda (Nemeth) and Archie Sills, and grew up in the suburb of Franklin, in a Jewish household. He was friends (and did am ...
, as Harry Fleming, Rubinstein's confidante, and Erik Liberman
Erik Liberman is an American actor, author, and director.
Early life and education
Liberman was born in Miami, the son of social worker Marsha and Havana-born vision scientist and author Jacob. He attended New World School of the Arts, where he ...
as Revlon
Revlon, Inc. is an American multinational company dealing in cosmetics, skin care, fragrance, and personal care. The headquarters of Revlon was established in New York City on March 1, 1932, where it still remains. Revlon was founded by brothe ...
founder Charles Revson
Charles Haskell Revson (October 11, 1906 – August 24, 1975) was an American businessman and philanthropist. He was best known as a pioneering cosmetics industry executive who created the first pigment-based nail polish and founded and managed R ...
. The musical featured scenic design by David Korins, costume design by Catherine Zuber
Catherine Zuber is a costume designer for the Broadway theater and opera, among other venues. She is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama, and has been referred to as "one of theater's most sought-after costume designers on both coasts."Hefflet, ...
, lighting design by Kenneth Posner
Kenneth Posner is an American lighting designer, working on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and in American regional theatre. His most notable designs include the musicals '' Wicked'' and '' Hairspray'', two highly regarded musicals of the early 21st cen ...
, sound design by Brian Ronan, orchestrations by Bruce Coughlin, and choreography by Christopher Gattelli
Christopher Gattelli is an American choreographer, performer and theatre director.
Early life and career
Gattelli grew up in Bristol, Pennsylvania. He started dancing at the age of 11 and is a "Star Search" Grand champion. .
On October 13, 2016 it was announced that ''War Paint'' would be produced on Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
playing at the Nederlander Theatre
The Nederlander Theatre (formerly the National Theatre, the Billy Rose Theatre, and the Trafalgar Theatre) is a Broadway theater at 208 West 41st Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1921, it was des ...
in previews from March 7, 2017 and officially opening April 6. Additional featured cast includes Dossett, Sills, and Liberman reprising their roles from the Chicago production. After strong box office returns in the first weeks of its run ''War Paint'' failed to remain an audience draw into the summer and in mid-September a December 30, 2017 closing date was posted: the musical's closing would in fact be moved up to November 5, 2017, to accommodate LuPone's need for have hip replacement surgery. Including previews, ''War Paint'' played on Broadway for 269 performances.
The Broadway production received 4 Tony Award nominations. Both Christine Ebersole and Patti LuPone were nominated for Best Actress in a Musical, David Korins for Best Scenic Design of a Musical and Catherine Zuber for Best Costume Design of a Musical.
Plot
Act I
In 1935 Manhattan, several society women fret over the beauty ideals imposed on them by an unforgiving culture ("Best Face Forward"). A red door beckons them inside Elizabeth Arden's salon, where they are greeted by the Arden Girls and then by Elizabeth Arden herself ("Behind the Red Door"). Elizabeth's husband Tommy informs her that Helena Rubinstein plans to relaunch her company in America. Meanwhile, Helena arrives in Manhattan with her marketing director Harry Fleming and tells him that, while she's never met Elizabeth in person, she still plans to undo her ("Back on Top").
When Helena extols her latest face cream, an unfazed Elizabeth reassures Tommy that her iconic pink packaging will always trump pseudo-science. Harry urges Helena to market her cream as two separate products: one for the daytime and one for the nighttime. Helena consents, causing her sales to surpass Elizabeth's. Tommy urges Elizabeth to give him a promotion, but she is reluctant to do so because she believes it will make her look weak ("My Secret Weapon").
One night, while having dinner at the St. Regis Hotel, Elizabeth overhears Helena and Harry talking in an adjoining banquette. She learns that Helena longs for inclusion and that Harry feels undervalued ("My American Moment"). When Harry storms off after Helena mentions her knowing about his late-night trysts, Elizabeth gives him her card and invites him to a job interview.
Sometime later, Harry meets with Elizabeth and insists on working as her Vice President of Sales. Despite her initial reluctance, Elizabeth agrees to Harry's demands after Tommy walks in on them. Harry tells Helena about his new job and hits the town with an errant sailor while Tommy enjoys a night out with several of the Arden Girls. When Elizabeth catches him in the steam room with one of the girls, she promptly fires him and demands a divorce ("Step on Out"). Both women wonder what their lives would be had they been born male ("If I'd Been a Man").
While receiving a visit from nail polish salesman Charles Revson and his hand model Dorian Leigh, Elizabeth becomes intrigued with Dorian as she sees vestiges of her former self in the up-and-comer ("Better Yourself"). Meanwhile, after being approached by Tommy about a job, Helena suggests they work together to destroy Elizabeth's reputation by telling the FDA her skin cream doubles as horse salve ("Oh, That's Rich").
In 1939 Washington, D.C., Elizabeth appears at a Senate Committee hearing and offers a spirited defense to committee chairman Senator Royal Copeland. Fully aware that Tommy deliberately sold her out, Elizabeth reports Helena and forces her to testify before the committee. Following Helena's testimony, however, Copeland chides both women and claims their efforts to undermine one another only resulted in them incriminating themselves. Alone and bereft, the two wonder what it would be like if they actually met ("Face to Face").
Act II
As dismayed society ladies across Manhattan read the obligatory labels on Arden and Rubinstein products ("Inside of the Jar"), both women discover that war has broken out in Europe. Helena decides to buoy the spirits of women dedicated to the war effort with a brand new line while Elizabeth learns that the War Office is rationing silk and nylon and vows to do her part by inventing products without them ("Necessity Is the Mother of Invention").
In the post-war years, both women thrive financially and open salons in fashionable neighborhoods across America ("Best Face Forward eprise). One day, Helena is dining at the St. Regis when she learns she lost the bid on a Park Avenue penthouse because its Board of Directors finds her too Jewish. She overhears Elizabeth being rejected by the elite Mayfair Club because they find her too nouveau riche and gloats over her rival getting a much-needed taste of her own prejudice ("Now You Know").
In the 1950s, Tommy and Harry urge their respective employers to update their ad campaigns. When CBS President Bill Paley offers them sponsorship of the new game show "The $64,000 Question," both women refuse ("No Thank You"). During the show's premiere, they are shocked to learn that the sponsor is Charles Revson's newly formed company Revlon, which features Dorian Leigh in an ad campaign that celebrates sex appeal ("Fire and Ice").
Following the premiere, Helena fires Tommy for failing to alert her to the danger Revlon now poses while Elizabeth fires Harry when he dares to say "I told you so." Both men commiserate at a bar, fully aware that their former employers are digging their own graves by failing to keep up with the times ("Dinosaurs").
Several years later, Elizabeth's Board of Directors pressures her to name a successor, prompting her to opine about how her entire résumé has been pared down to her patented color ("Pink"). Helena, meanwhile, is pressured by her attorneys to save on taxes by donating her large portrait collection. She refuses, insisting that, unlike the creams she spent her entire life championing, the paintings are what preserve her immortality ("Forever Beautiful").
At a gala organized by the American Women's Association in 1964, both women find themselves face to face after being accidentally invited to deliver the keynote address. The two argue until Helena notices that Elizabeth is wearing a shade of her lipstick. The two eventually realize that they had a shared goal that surpassed their bitter rivalry ("Beauty in the World"). As they are ushered to the stage, their handler Tulip thanks the former cosmetics moguls for "all you've done to – I mean ''for'' – women." Upon hearing this, both women pause and wonder who will defend beauty in an ever-coarsening world ("Finale").
Musical numbers
Goodman Theatre (2016)
; Act I
* "A Woman's Face" – Helena Rubinstein, Elizabeth Arden, Society Doyenne, Grand Dame, Heiress & Countess
* "Behind the Red Door" – Arden Girls, Society Doyenne, Grand Dame, Heiress, Countess & Elizabeth
* "Back on Top" – Helena & Beauty Technicians
* "Hope in a Jar" – Harry Fleming, Helena, Society Doyenne, Grand Dame, Heiress, Countess, Elizabeth, Tommy Lewis, Arden Girls & Bergdorf Goodman Customers
* "A Working Marriage" – Elizabeth & Tommy
* "My American Moment" – Helena & Elizabeth
* "Step on Out" – Arden Girls, Miss Beam, Tommy & Harry
* "If I'd Been a Man" – Elizabeth & Helena
* "Better Yourself" – Elizabeth
* "Oh, That's Rich" – Tommy, Helena, Harry & Elizabeth
* "Face to Face" – Helena & Elizabeth
; Act II
* "War Paint" – Helena, Elizabeth, Women Factory Workers, Eleanor Roosevelt, WACs & Flagbearers
* "A Woman's Face (Reprise)" – Countess, Society Doyenne, Heiress, Grand Dame, Young Mother & Other Branch Salon Clients
* "Now You Know" – Helena
* "No Thank You" – Harry, Elizabeth, Tommy, Helena & William S. Paley
* "Fire and Ice" - Charles Revson, Dorian Leigh, Mirror Girls, Helena, Elizabeth, Harry & Tommy
* "Face to Face (Reprise)" – Helena & Elizabeth
* "Dinosaurs" – Tommy & Harry
* "Pink" – Elizabeth
* "Forever Beautiful" – Helena
* "Beauty in the World" – Helena & Elizabeth
* "A Woman's Face (Reprise)" – Company
Original Broadway production (2017)
; Act I
* "Best Face Forward" – Countess, Grand Dame, Heiress, Society Doyenne & Ensemble
* "Behind the Red Door" – Arden Girls, Countess, Grand Dame, Heiress, Society Doyenne, & Elizabeth Arden
* "Back on Top" – Helena Rubinstein & Beauty Technicians
* "My Secret Weapon" – Helena, Harry Fleming, Elizabeth, Tommy Lewis, Society Doyenne, Grand Dame, Heiress, Countess & Arden Girls
* "My American Moment" – Helena & Elizabeth
* "Step on Out" – Arden Girls, Miss Beam, Tommy & Harry
* "If I'd Been a Man" – Elizabeth & Helena
* "Better Yourself" – Elizabeth
* "Oh, That's Rich" – Tommy, Helena, Elizabeth & Harry
* "Face to Face" – Helena & Elizabeth
; Act II
* "Inside of the Jar" – Countess, Grand Dame, Heiress, Society Doyenne, Shoppers & Salesgirls
* "Necessity is the Mother of Invention" – Elizabeth, Helena, Women Machinists, WACs, Tommy, Harry & Soldiers
* "Best Face Forward (Reprise)" - Countess, Society Doyenne, Grand Dame, Heiress & Branch Salon Clients
* "Now You Know" – Helena
* "No Thank You" – Harry, Elizabeth, Tommy, Helena & William S. Paley
* "Fire and Ice" - Charles Revson, Dorian Leigh & Mirror Girls
* "Dinosaurs" – Tommy & Harry
* "Pink" – Elizabeth
* "Forever Beautiful" – Helena
* "Beauty in the World" – Helena & Elizabeth
* "Finale" - Helena & Elizabeth
Cast
Source: Internet Broadway Database
Critical response
In his review of the Chicago production, Peter Marks in ''The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' praised LuPone and Ebersole and the score: "LuPone and Ebersole wrap their prodigious voices around a score by Scott Frankel and Michael Korie that rings with the kind of exhilaratingly brassy notes that match the chutzpah of their characters' ambitions... In the twilight is where both LuPone's and Ebersole's performances gain their essential poignancy..." and the story line: "''War Paint'' conveys with tremendous authority what it must have been like for both women to have assumed the traditionally masculine role of running a major company..."
The Broadway production of ''War Paint'' typically received what were deemed mixed reviews with critics seemingly unanimous in praise for stars LuPone and Ebersole but generally less enthused about the overall production, as posited by ''HuffPost
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
'' critic Christian Lewis: "''War Paint'' certainly is not a revolutionary (or even a very well-written or conceived) musical"... " ut whilethe show itself and the cast as a whole may be lackluster and flawed ts twoleading ladies are certainly deserving of praise Lupone shilariously campy and intense Ebersole,...serious and passionate"..."In reality ''War Paint'' is a glorified concert for Ebersole and LuPone"..." hosemagnificent performances...are an absolute must-see"..." lthoughthese vocal powerhouses cannot...fully edeemthis flawed musical with its bad lyrics, lazy staging, and entirely bland supporting cast."
Awards: Original Broadway Production
Subsequent productions
In April 2019 ''War Paint'' made its regional theatre debut with nine performances produced by Community Theatre of Little Rock. A production by the Kalamazoo Civic Players
The Kalamazoo Civic Players, now known as the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre, is a community theater company located in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Venues
The Kalamazoo Civic Theatre has three performance venues.
Civic Auditorium
Opened in 1931, the Civic Aud ...
is scheduled for May 3–19, 2019.
References
External links
Official website
*{{ibdb show, id=510884, title=War Paint
2016 musicals
Biographical musicals
Broadway musicals
Cultural depictions of businesspeople
Cultural depictions of American women