haha. I can see how many people would have more fun at Legally Blonde. But there is a lot to love about War Paint, I think. Despite some of the criticisms here I actually really like the book - LuPone and Ebersole have juicy parts that allow them to show off some incredible acting. LuPone in particular probably has the slightly better part in my mind - she gets to be vulnerable, angry, funny. Somewhat surprisingly to me, a lot of the show focuses on the business aspects of their companies (e.g., considering product design, ethics, marketing and target markets etc.), which I personally find engaging and interesting working in business myself. I appreciate the social commentary of women in business, the role of makeup in society etc. - even if it is a little heavy handed at times (is there a more subtle way to sing "If I'd Been a Man" without literally saying those words?)
While the scenes do sometimes mirror each other and it looks like there is a deliberate effort to ensure LuPone/Ebersole get approximately equal stage time, there is enough variation to keep it interesting for me and the scenes don't always literally mirror each other. Nor do they always literally go LuPone/Ebersole/LuPone/Ebersole etc.) so I didn't find it as predictable and annoying as some. I also LOVED the final scene where they meet. Pure diva fan service here and speaking of juicy acting, they get to show how they progress with aging given the show is set over a couple of decades.
The biggest issue for me is simply the score - as I have been saying for a while based on sneak listening "Pink" is the only standout number in the show, and Ebersole performs it masterfully. The song is so good I think it easily competes with the best in DEH, is far better than anything in Come From Away etc. and to me sounds like a classic in the same way "Another Winter" in Grey Gardens is. Unfortunately, there just isn't any other moments that come close. LuPone's song is thematically interesting but very jarring and unmelodic. Although all songs have a recognisable dramatic or character purpose (including "Dinosaurs)", many of the songs songs sound derivative and forgettable. I hope I warm up to it with further listening, I am looking forward to hearing "Behind the Red Door", "Back on Top", and "Now You Know" again (in addition to the 11 o'clock numbers).
I kind of wish the composer could hit it out of the park more often, but I must admit he is starting to feel a little like Michael LaChusia to me - can really connect deeply with one work (Grey Gardens or in the case of LaChusia, the Wild Party) but it's hard to feel any connection to the songs of other work (e.g., Far From Heaven; Most of War Paint or in the case of LaChusia - anything else he has ever written). I wonder if they were fired from "Finding Neverland" because they just couldn't deliver the kind of score that would appeal to a mass-audience the producer was hoping for.
Can't wait to see War Paint again, though. And I know everyone is sick of me talking about Bernadette - it's done, she isn't in the show. And she probably couldn't pull what Ebersole has done in the show. But how great would it be to see the final scene with Bernadette and Patti?
Give me claws and a hunch, just away from this bunch.
Updated On: 4/20/17 at 10:36 PM
