WAR PAINT Previews- Page 12

[binau]

Posted: 4/1/17 at 3:36am

This often happens at odd hours of the night with ticketmaster - I assume it's some kind of maintenance-related thing. Try again in the morning and it should be fine.

[Londonskyguy]

Posted: 4/1/17 at 3:40am

Surprized to see, rear mezz tix available for opening night!

[sparepart973]

Posted: 4/1/17 at 4:22am

^ Thank you. It's back to normal again. 

PS-

I hate Ticketmaster. 

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 4/2/17 at 9:35am

newintown said: "I didn't say that people don't pay an inordinate amount of attention to the beauty industry, I said it's trivial, and it is, with a single-minded focus on arbitrary superficiality over personality, morality, and intellect. Much like the fashion industry. They both cater to people who would prefer to look into a mirror than inside themselves.

So, to be more specific, although cosmetics can be very important to some individuals, they are, by definition, "trivial" (synonyms: frivolous, superficial, shallow) - a point very briefly touched upon in the final scene of the show."

I disagree. Superficial, yes, in that it deals with the surface. But the other words seem like unfair judgments. Fashion and makeup can be important signifiers. They're ways of presenting yourself as much as speech (accent, vocabulary), body language, etc. 

That said, I haven't seen the show and I have no idea if these are the right people to focus on to tell that story or if the show is all that interested in exploring the complexities around two women gaining wealth and influence from an industry that helps perpetuate sometimes harmful beauty ideals/standards and is exploitative for various reasons (especially when you look at the modern day beauty industry). But I don't think you can write it off as a subject that isn't worth exploring. 

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 4/2/17 at 10:11am

Snagged a rush ticket for last night's performance- what an altogether odd show. It's often entertaining and engaging, but somehow it doesn't fully come together. I think generally the problems lie in Act Two. The first act, I found, moves at a nice clip and is interesting- the second act drags considerably even though it isn't longer than the first.

Fundamentally, I don't think the creative team settled on what story they wanted to tell. Much of the show is spent valorizing Arden and Rubinstein as feminist trailblazers- women who dominated their field when that was so rare. It makes a  good case for it too, but right at the end of the show they try to tack on a feminist critique of the cosmetics industry in general. I think that is worth exploring, but it needs to be introduced much earlier to really have weight. I think the writers were looking to have their feminist cake and eat it too, but ultimately it makes the show feel meandering rather than thought-provoking. 

Of course, it's not surprise that Patti and Christine are wonderful. Frankel and Katie know how to utilize Christine's voice beautifully, and she sounds lovely. Still, I think the night belongs to Patti. She sounds glorious- it's hard to believe she's 61 when she sounds like that- and she gets the better lines. The show, too, seems to have a slight preference for Rubinstein as a character- she seems more serious and knowledgeable (and with the better product), while Arden is portrayed as sort of a society lady who figured out good marketing. 

Thw rest of the elements are more or less fine. The score is pleasant but none of the numbers fully landed dramatically. Even Pink, which has been much praised, takes far too long to clearly make its point. The book is spare but more or less works, though it does get slack in Act Two. Dossett and Sills were fine but strangely interchangeable in both looks and performance- and yes, Dinosaurs needs to be cut. It underlines a point we already understand, and it lands like an absolute thud. The costumes (and the hats!) are unsurprisingly gorgeous. 

I think this makes me sound like I hated the show, but I really didn't. It's a nice night in the theatre. I found the history interesting, as I was totally unfamiliar with both women, and it is really a treat to see Ebersole and LuPone onstage together. Still, I can't help but wish it were far more satisfying, either as a bio-musical or as a deep dive into the cosmetics industry and the effect it's had on American women and the perception of beauty. 

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 4/2/17 at 11:47am

Also saw this last night and 100% agree with wonderfulwizard. Patti and Christine are the only reasons to see this show (costumes, no matter how gorgeous, do not a production make). Christine has the best song of the night - "Pink", which is as good as any of her material from Grey Gardens - but the show is Patti's, largely because Rubinstein's story is just more compelling. And she gets all the best lines of dialogue. Without a doubt, both women have never sounded better.

Outside the two leads, I really see no reason for this show to exist. The supporting characters are needless and their material ranges from flat-out bad to totally forgettable. The book plods along from scene to scene with a new conflict being introduced at the top and being either solved or forgotten by the end. I didn't have a terrible time, and even enjoyed myself in fits and starts, but it was neither campy nor dramatic enough to excite me in any way. Disappointing, but glad I went to see these two legends of musical theatre.

Updated On: 4/2/17 at 11:47 AM

[goldenboy]

Posted: 4/5/17 at 1:23am

Came to New York This week to catch some of the new musicals. After having to sit through Amelie (what was the point of that? the main character seemed  ****) and Groundhog's Day (what a bore) I found War Paint to be a revelation!

It may have been the let down of Amelie and Grounhog Day but I had a grand old time at War Paint. What a great sends of the 1930's 40's 50's and 60's The attention to time and place were spot on.

First of all the star turns of Patti Lupone and Christine Ebersole are astounding.  The lyrics clever and the music tuneful. What a salute to old Broadway when we can have a plot driven show with fascinating characters; character portrayals by the leads that are deep and heartfelt; Costumes and sets that are extraordinary. And not one but two star turns.

I was not bored for a second as I was with Amelie, Groundhog Day . Finally a show I loved.

[newintown]

Posted: 4/5/17 at 11:12am

VintageSnarker wrote: "But I don't think you can write it off as a subject that isn't worth exploring."

Well, I never said that.  I said cosmetics are, ultimately, trivial - a manic focus on the superficial and applied, rather than the deep and intrinsic. A focus on what one looks like, rather than who one is. Appearances over substance.

I would be interested in the idea of a show that actually explores why women and men unquestioningly accept the fact that colored chemical applications to the face are necessary for a woman to be attractive, and the inherent misogyny and self-hate behind such an idea. But this isn't that show; this show never questions why women subject themselves to so much physical disguise, from head to toe, in the pursuit of a beauty they don't feel they naturally possess.

[wonderboynj]

Posted: 4/5/17 at 12:56pm

I haven't seen the show yet (going tonight) but I love the way you described this :)

Sally Durant Plummer said: Ebersole slowly sets the table and decorates the room around it before finally serving the feast for "Pink", her 11 o'clock number and the best song in the score. It is then that War Paint reaches the emotional depths of Grey Gardens."

 

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 4/5/17 at 5:21pm

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Photo-Flash-Broadway-Beauties--First-Look-at-Patti-LuPone-and-Christine-Ebersole-in-WAR-PAINT-on-Broadway-20170405

[LesWickedly]

Posted: 4/5/17 at 5:26pm

Haven't been reading reports but Costumes look beautiful and set looks pretty good, too.

[Sally Durant Plummer]

Posted: 4/5/17 at 7:08pm

Dearest Sweet Lips, sorry for the late reply, I just saw your response. I am male, so I probably don't have as deep a knowledge of makeup as women do, but I will say I know more about it than the average man. I regularly shop with friends as they pick out different makeup, and Sephora and the makeup floor in Bloomingdale's are no stranger to me. Perhaps I just haven't looked hard enough - aand the show has made me want to see Arden's fabled packaging!

[Gensho]

Posted: 4/5/17 at 9:02pm

Saw it. The score was unmemorable, but the story was fascinating. But it was all about PATTI honey. She chewed up and spit out every ounce of scenery that wasn't nailed to the stage. She had fabulous costumes and all the one liners. I mean I love Christine, but her part was kind of boring. 

[SweetLips]

Posted: 4/6/17 at 2:12am

Thanks Sal---now check out what's behind that fabled Red Door....