Posted: 7/5/16 at 12:31pm
I was lucky enough to see this on Saturday night, and, in short, I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. From start to finish, this is truly one of the most captivating new musicals in the past 5 years.
I should preface with someone's comment from earlier mentioning that Ms. Arden and Rubenstein don't have much name recognition in today's audiences, and I very much believe this is one of the source material's strengths. I went in knowing nothing about the women and nothing of the show's plot/musical structure. Because of this, I never once knew what would happen next or how the story would end. It's not like most biopics where the ending is known (a la Evita or Hamilton).
I will say that I was almost more wowed by the book scenes than the songs. The book is top-notch, and the humor is witty, fast, and poignant. I kept telling myself to remember some of the lines. What sticks out in my head now is this:
*Arden at the St. Regis for lunch*
Freddie (waiter): "The usual today, Miss Arden?"
Arden: "Yes, Freddie, I'll have my usual --One beef bouillon cube dissolved in hot water, 4 celery sticks, and a glass of prune juice."
I know that some are not fond of the final book scene (where the women meet at last), but I found it enthralling. The tea has been boiling hot through the whole show, and we finally get to sip it in all its glory here.
What is most effective in this scene is the use of silence between the two women. It was a pinnacle moment of adrenaline, reflection, and camaraderie between two formidable women.
The 2 men, Mr. Lewis and Flemming, compliment these women well, and their send off song --"Dinosaurs"-- was a breath of fresh air. It was an "Agony" for two grown men --both topping each other's hellish experiences with humor, wit, and grief.
My favorite song had to have been "Now You Know," which burned white hot with spite and pity.
All in all, I'm still reflecting, but I count my pearls that I'm lucky enough to live 15 minutes away from the Goodman. I've already purchased tickets for 2 more performances.
Updated On: 7/5/16 at 12:31 PM
were both strong, musically, though I didn't care for the staging of "War Paint" at all. Some songs were more memorable for their staging or performances than the music itself such as "Fire and Ice" (which could have been a knockout number visually had not all the women been dressed exactly the same), "Forever Beautiful" and "Beauty in the World". And as for the book, the narrative structure quickly became repetitive and predictable to the point that I found it tedious. For every Helena moment, there is an equal and opposite Elizabeth moment and vice-versa. That is virtually every scene from start to finish and when you become aware of it, it's like you can hear a clock ticking at the start of each scene knowing the moment/song/scene will basically be repeated from the other perspective. This only adds a flatness of a book that skims these characters over a couple of decades. There is dialogue that provides some background into the women and its Helena that is more properly fleshed out as a character, but in the end, I felt like I had just flipped through an old photo album rather than having been told a story. 
