Two of the stage's best leading ladies are coming together for a new Broadway musical.
Tony winners Patti LuPone ("Gypsy") and Christine Ebersole ("Grey Gardens") will lead "War Paint" -- a new musical based on the lives of cosmetics entrepreneurs and rivals Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden.
Previews begin March 7, 2017 at the Nederlander Theatre, with an opening night set for April 6.
LuPone will play Rubinstein, Polish-American immigrant and founder of Helena Rubinstein Incorporated. Ebersole will play Canadian-born Arden, founder of Elizabeth Arden, Inc.
Both women were fiercely competitive as they built their empires in the early days of the 20th century. Each use similar tactics -- celebrity endorsements, luxurious packaging, uniformed beauticians, etc -- to push their products.
The ladies were so tied together, they died within 18 months of one another in the 1960s.
Tony nominees John Dossett and Douglas Sills also star in the show. Dossett plays Tommy Lewis, Arden’s husband and chief marketing officer, while Sills plays Rubinstein’s faithful ally Harry Fleming, Madame.
Broadway
All starred in the show together during its sold-out run in Chicago — where it became the best-selling show in Goodman Theatre's history.
The musical is inspired by the book of the same name by Lindy Woodhead — and by Ann Carol Grossman and Arnie Reisman's documentary film, "The Powder & the Glory."
It comes from the team behind "Grey Gardens" — book writer Doug Wright, composer Scott Frankel and lyricist Michael Korie, and director Michael Greif.
For more information, visit warpaintmusical.com.
