Chicago Puts On “War Paint”
LemonWade’s spies in Chicago made a trip the other night to see an early preview of “War Paint,” the new pre-Broadway musical starring Christine Ebersole and Patti LuPone as beauty titans Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein. The book is by Doug Wright, the music by Scott Frankel, and the lyrics by Michael Korie: this team brought us the “Grey Gardens,” musical. “War Paint,” say my spies, will delight theater queens because it’s essentially a duelling divas scenario. It is early in previews so it’s not fair to judge it in entirety. But my spies did share that LuPone’s Polish accent was about three times thicker than Streep’s in “Sophie’s Choice.” Ebersole fares better, and has the 11 o’clock number, “Pink.” My spies had highest praise for David Korins’ set and Catherine Zuber’s costumes: lavish!
