WAR PAINT Previews- Page 9

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 3/19/17 at 12:41am

I saw this today, the show was not good by any means. Patti cannot act to save her life, the fact that that woman that plays herself every single time I see her in a show and that she has 2 Tonys is a miracle. But she can sing. Christine on the other hand can sing AND act. The show is soooo bad, but it is enjoyable and if you go with very low expectations you may be satisfied with it. 

[ljay889]

Posted: 3/19/17 at 12:52am

Yep. The Juilliard classically trained Patti LuPone can't act. Ok. 

[brian1973]

Posted: 3/19/17 at 4:15am

So all in all you loved it?

 

muscle23ftl said: "I saw this today, the show was not good by any means. Patti cannot act to save her life, the fact that that woman that plays herself every single time I see her in a show and that she has 2 Tonys is a miracle. But she can sing. Christine on the other hand can sing AND act. The show is soooo bad, but it is enjoyable and if you go with very low expectations you may be satisfied with it. 

 

"

 

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 3/19/17 at 4:23am

I had a good time...Christine Ebersole is exquisite as Elizabeth Arden- although I hated how she treated that gay man in the show who wanted to sell his products to her company- also Steffanie Leigh(from my beloved Gigi) was good, and I like the men in the show too. But found it extremely kitsch. Yet, I think it was my kind of show (the ones that most on here consider terrible)

[icecreambenjamin]

Posted: 3/19/17 at 4:34am

muscle23ftl said: "I saw this today, the show was not good by any means. Patti cannot act to save her life, the fact that that woman that plays herself every single time I see her in a show and that she has 2 Tonys is a miracle. But she can sing. Christine on the other hand can sing AND act. The show is soooo bad, but it is enjoyable and if you go with very low expectations you may be satisfied with it. 

 

"

Ok, but tell us what you really think.

 

[MadonnaMusical]

Posted: 3/19/17 at 7:15am

This thread is hurting my brain. Does everyone know the difference between there, their, and they're? 

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 3/19/17 at 8:40am

muscle23ftl said: "Patti cannot act to save her life, the fact that that woman that plays herself every single time I see her in a show and that she has 2 Tonys is a miracle."

You're pushing it really, really hard with this one, muscle...

[Addison D.]

Posted: 3/19/17 at 8:51am

muscle23ftl said: "...I hated how she treated that gay man in the show who wanted to sell his products to her company..."

Do you mean Revson?  I don't recall his sexuality being made explicit.  In any case, her 'treatment' of him was not a function of his sexuality, but was--to my understanding--meant to illustrate her resistance to ideas about beauty products that differed from her own.  Revson also serves as the mechanism which allows her to speak to his assistant, whom she sees as an echo of herself and an example of the mistakes--in her view--made by young women in how they present themselves.

 

Also--Patti *does* have a strong character of her own, but I think it's a stretch to say that she "can't act" just because one can recognize that character when she performs.

[ljay889]

Posted: 3/19/17 at 11:23am

When you have a larger than life performer and personality, there will always be traces of their persona in their performance, and that's usually what the audience wants. Elaine Stritch once wisely said something similar to that.

Also, if Patti were playing herself, make no mistake, she'd be playing a proud fiery Italian woman, not a Polish Jew. 

Updated On: 3/19/17 at 11:23 AM

[Jimmyb1969]

Posted: 3/19/17 at 11:30am

We were so excited to attend last nights performance... both being big fans of Patti and Christine. What a HUGE disappointment. Vocally they're both amazing but they have absolutely nothing to work with in this show.  The songs are ALL forgettable and the book is...well the book is terrible. The only way this made it to Broadway or made all the money it did for the Goodman is because of the star power of Patti and Christine period...but NOT for the material. Everyone around us...and I mean everyone was commenting on how bad the story is...a gentleman behind me said the novel the show is based on is very good but definitely not this. They go so broad that it lacks real substance...there isn't any payoff or resolution to the storylines they introduce. Example...they're both exposed...expose each other for bad ingredients in the products? Then please answer what they did to fix it? Another example...two broken marriages, missing family, deep pain...all ingredients for good story. Nope...not going to dive in there either. They just gloss over every detail of their lives. And the ending? Yikes! First of all it's not true and secondly what a let down. This show does not deserve any Tony noms. I cannot believe Patti and Christine aren't privately thinking this show is such garbage. Yes they both sing the forgettable songs beautifully but it's more a study on how excellent they are technically and not for the audience to be transported into an amazing world...or taken on an unforgettable journey. Not in this show kids. You're dragged through 3 hours representing 50 or so years. And no there is nothing on how they got their start...which is fascinating stuff. They both do what they can to make something out of this drivel. And what about that dinosaur song? That's when an unfortunate evening gets evening worse. I think the two male leads were even embarrassed to sing it. And to wrap this up because I've spent far too much time on this and we're never getting those 3 hours of our lives back. Patti is hard to understand most of act one. The set is beyond cheesy and cheap looking and the costumes are borderline caricature until end of act two. I don't see this show lasting past June. Yikes! My advice...go see Sunset Blvd. Go see Dolly. Go see Saigon.  Go see Hansen. Avoid this show at all costs. Unless you get a freebie or great discount just to be in Patti and Christine's presence but forewarned is forearmed. 

Updated On: 3/19/17 at 11:30 AM

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 3/19/17 at 11:34am

muscle23ftl said: "I had a good time...Christine Ebersole is exquisite as Elizabeth Arden- although I hated how she treated that gay man in the show who wanted to sell his products to her company- also Steffanie Leigh(from my beloved Gigi) was good, and I like the men in the show too. But found it extremely kitsch. Yet, I think it was my kind of show (the ones that most on here consider terrible)

 

"

You hate Patti and love Gigi. Now I know where you stand.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 3/19/17 at 12:04pm

Call_me_jorge said: "muscle23ftl said: "I had a good time...Christine Ebersole is exquisite as Elizabeth Arden- although I hated how she treated that gay man in the show who wanted to sell his products to her company- also Steffanie Leigh(from my beloved Gigi) was good, and I like the men in the show too. But found it extremely kitsch. Yet, I think it was my kind of show (the ones that most on here consider terrible)

 

I loved GIGI indeed.

You hate Patti and love Gigi. Now I know where you stand.

 

"

 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 3/19/17 at 12:20pm

Oh lord. I LOVE me some Lupone, and to say she can't act is just inane. Have you seen her in Gypsy?! She slings some damn good one liners here as well. But I will say, I think it is Ebersole's show. She's given the more vulnerable character, and I think it is her the audience emotionally attaches too. 

[Addison D.]

Posted: 3/19/17 at 12:28pm

RippedMan said: "... I think it is Ebersole's show. She's given the more vulnerable character, and I think it is her the audience emotionally attaches too."

I saw 'War Paint' with my No. 1 theater pal--we've been seeing shows, collecting OBCRs and worrying about Liza for..well...a LONG time, and we are almost always of one mind.  We turned to each other @ intermission and each said "Well--it's ________'s show".  I said 'Patti', he said 'Ebersole'.   Go figure.

 

[rizzuto2]

Posted: 3/19/17 at 6:56pm

MadonnaMusical said: "This thread is hurting my brain. Does everyone know the difference between there, their, and they're?"

Not to put too fine a point on it, but, as you're comparing more than 2 items, should you not have asked "Does everyone know the difference among there, their, and they're?"

(NNTTM)

 

"

 

[SweetLips]

Posted: 3/19/17 at 7:12pm

ljay889 said: "Yep. The Juilliard classically trained Patti LuPone can't act. Ok. 

and---you can be a qualified beauty therapist and still give a siht facial----it's all in the hands--you've either got it--or you don't--that piece of paper means zilch.

 

 

 

[ljay889]

Posted: 3/19/17 at 7:15pm

And? Patti certainly has the talent to back up her strong training. 

[icecreambenjamin]

Posted: 3/19/17 at 7:28pm

SweetLips said: "ljay889 said: "Yep. The Juilliard classically trained Patti LuPone can't act. Ok. 

and---you can be a qualified beauty therapist and still give a siht facial----it's all in the hands--you've either got it--or you don't--that piece of paper means zilch.

 
A Juilliard degree means a hell of a lot more than a piece of paper.  You need some serious chops to get in and once you're there you need some serious chops to stay (or at least was the case when Supreme Overlord Diva Lupone was attending). 

Patti Lupone is my lord and savior and I love her with all my gay heart.  She is one of the strongest singing actresses to ever grace the Broadway stage and will always be remembered as such.

 

[ljay889]

Posted: 3/19/17 at 7:30pm

icecreambenjamin said:  She is one of the strongest singing actresses to ever grace the Broadway stage and will always be remembered as such."

I can't argue this whatsoever! 

[perfectliar]

Posted: 3/19/17 at 7:59pm

rizzuto2 said: "MadonnaMusical said: "This thread is hurting my brain. Does everyone know the difference between there, their, and they're?"

Not to put too fine a point on it, but, as you're comparing more than 2 items, should you not have asked "Does everyone know the difference among there, their, and they're?"

(NNTTM)"

No. Between separates clearly defined things, while among does not.

 

[adamgreer]

Posted: 3/19/17 at 8:54pm

Talent, of course, is subjective, but I don't see how anyone could have seen LuPone's performance in Gypsy and claim she can't act. 

(I haven't seen War Paint, so I can't comment on that performance.)

[SweetLips]

Posted: 3/19/17 at 9:28pm

'Patti could only sing one note and the note she sang was this..Ahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

I HAD to bite and this was the best I could come up with.

[PatrickDC]

Posted: 3/19/17 at 9:29pm

In all my decades of theater going I've only once left a show at Intermission. WAR PAINT was close to being the second show. I didn't hate it. I was just bored. But I stayed, and glad I did. I mean c'mon...seeing Patti and Christine!! I have zero vocal training but they both sounded, to quote Seth Rudetzky "AH-MAH-ZING." And to see them on stage together, what a treat. I also liked the sets and lighting, and the costumes, especially Patti's, are beautiful, but the costume changes between each scene became tedious...you knew each time Patti or Christine came on they would be in something glamorous. Like some others I was challenged by Patti's accent and missed a lot of the lyrics.

I have an idea how the book was written. Mr. Wright wrote one of the arcs, say Rubenstein's, then he wrote Arden's simply to match everything in Rubenstein's. Then the actress's agents were brought in to count every note of singing, every letter of dialogue, every arc of emotion, every up and down of the two businesses, and adjustments were made to guarantee complete equality of the two roles. Anytime one actress belts a number or has an emotional book scene, the spotlight fades out while the other actress is tracked onto stage...and she will belt an identical number or have an identical emotional book scene. (One example, Rubinstein's attempt to buy a new penthouse is thwarted by a bank, while seconds later Arden's application for a social club is declined by the members, leaving both women in the identical emotional basement.) Half-way into Act 1 it was apparent this was how the show would go. Rinse and repeat. Over and over. They should rename this PARALLEL LIVES.   

Ok, snarkiness aside. I didn't care for GREY GARDENS but years later I revisited the recording and it became my favorite musical obsession for quite a while, and I still listen to it occasionally. Maybe WAR PAINT will be the same. But for now I just feel blah about the whole thing. 

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 3/20/17 at 12:32am

I must confess that I may be a bit biased by my dislike of Patti because of her book, where she shows how delusional and self entitled she is and trashes ALW who gave her a chance and a career by casting an unknown to star in his musical Evita.

Her youtube video yelling at the person for taking pictures while she was performing in Gypsy (totally right thing to do, but then she should have stopped instead of repeating "who do you think you are" over and over, that's when you cross the line between disciplining and abusing)

And then my own friend (a theater professional I won't mention because he is not a big star and wants to keep working in theater) who messaged me this about her: "Ugh. I can't with her. I was a fan till I had to work with her and experienced her behavior first hand"

With that said, this is regarding the musical, not her personal life, and I am aware of that, but I thought the material of this show was poor, yet, I happen to enjoy this type of kitsch shows.

Updated On: 3/20/17 at 12:32 AM

[perfectliar]

Posted: 3/20/17 at 9:11am

muscle23ftl said: "I must confess that I may be a bit biased by my dislike of Patti because of her book, where she shows how delusional and self entitled she is and trashes ALW who gave her a chance and a career by casting an unknown to star in his musical Evita."

If you read her book, you would know she was not an "unknown" when she was cast in Evita. She was already a Tony nominee by that point.