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.