War Paint
Closed 2h 35m
War Paint
77

War Paint NYC Reviews and Tickets

77%
(1329 Ratings)
Positive
77%
Mixed
20%
Negative
3%
Members say
Great singing, Entertaining, Great acting, Disappointing, Slow

About the Show

Two-time Tony Award winners Patti LuPone and Christine Ebersole come to Broadway in this new musical about rival cosmetic titans Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (1,329)

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95 Reviews | 19 Followers
90
Entertaining, Great staging, Great singing, Must see, Thought-provoking

See it if You want to see Patti Lupone & Christine Ebersole at their finest. The older they get the better they get. A must see!

Don't see it if N/A

245 Reviews | 37 Followers
89
Clever, Exquisite, Entertaining, Great singing, Edgy

See it if Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein duke it out over cold cream and make up.

Don't see it if Don't like time period pieces about make up and women bosses.

61 Reviews | 18 Followers
89
Clever, Delightful, Absorbing

See it if you would like to see 2 pros enhance their craft and create a delightful evening at the theater.

Don't see it if if you are looking for a ground breaking or an intellectual experience.

80 Reviews | 5 Followers
89
Absorbing, Entertaining, Great acting, Great singing, Masterful

See it if you love Lupone and Ebersole

Don't see it if you don't love the ladies

441 Reviews | 88 Followers
89
Delightful, Great singing, Entertaining

See it if War paint is a great showcase for Patti Lupone and Christine Ebersole. Fun and upbeat production!

Don't see it if If you prefer dramas.

98 Reviews | 17 Followers
89
Delightful, Entertaining, Great singing

See it if You love a great musical with wonderful costumes, a historic subject

Don't see it if You don't like kitschy songs, beautiful scenery, gorgeous period clothing. Strong women leads

51 Reviews | 4 Followers
88
Clever, Great singing, Entertaining

See it if You love Patti Lupone. You will learn about the history of makeup and the challenges they face.

Don't see it if You don't like musicals. Don't see it if you want a drama that is thought provoking and serious.

119 Reviews | 16 Followers
88
Absorbing, Edgy, Great acting, Funny, Indulgent

See it if If you want to watch the epic life story of the two titans of the cosmetic world. One liners are hilarious and the costume/staging are nice

Don't see it if you do not want to watch a musical around the rivalry of two titans and are expecting serious drama.

Critic Reviews (72)

Newsday
April 6th, 2017

"Hearing these extraordinary women at the top of their game in duets that contrast and blend and play off one another’s unique theatrical instincts is a thrill, and would be even without a chic and thoughtful show around them. 'War Paint' may not be one of the great musicals, but it is an enormously satisfying one...The show, sleekly and compassionately directed by Michael Greif, looks at American women from 1934 to 1964 through a new lens."
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The Stage (UK)
April 6th, 2017

"The production becomes a spellbinding study in the competition of wills...Michael Greif’s production is a multi-layered, extraordinarily textured story...Written by a team of three gay men, the show is sometimes camp in tone – there are lots of stinging one-liners – but it is affecting and resonant about the pursuit of looks and love. Scott Frankel and Michael Korie's score has a series of soaring numbers of near operatic power for the women."
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Daily Beast
April 6th, 2017

"A respectful affair, maybe a little too much so...After a shaky opening, 'War Paint' heats up in the second act...For all the luxe backdrops of makeup bottles and potions, the jewels and truly amazing hats, there is an austere, slightly stilted feeling to the movement...This restraint is mirrored in the script and lyrics...Both women sing beautifully, but the songs, with their repeated tropes of ambition and triumph over setbacks, remain unmemorable until the impressive final section."
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The Huffington Post
April 16th, 2017

"Curiously un-involving even as a more refined, sophisticated attempt at a dual biography. It’s more Arden than Rubenstein in style, but neither woman comes out a winner...These two women are sung by two artists in peak form, with their voices perfectly suited to each character and sounding glorious...So why does 'War Paint 'remain so bloodless? No doubt, they left a lot of fun out of it by going highbrow...Yes, they sacrifice much in their personal lives...But it never cuts deep."
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This Week in New York
May 9th, 2017

"This knockout Broadway musical pits not only fashion doyenne Helena Rubinstein against Elizabeth Arden but divas Patti LuPone against Christine Ebersole. And everyone wins, especially the audience...The book does an excellent job of condensing the story...The music and lyrics are fanciful and exhilarating, propelling the story while allowing the stars to shine, and shine they do; LuPone, Ebersole, Dossett, and Sills are the fiercest foursome on Broadway today."
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WNBC
April 6th, 2017

"A smart portrayal of the obstacles faced by a pair of America's earliest female entrepreneurs...Benefits foremost from the remarkable symmetry between its leads...The score is tuneful and catchy, winding up to a pair of bittersweet releases for the stars...Good God, the women’s voices are in astounding condition...Their meeting is something of a misty-eyed anticlimax...'War Paint,' mostly, is bliss and makeup."
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Cabaret Scenes
May 26th, 2017

"Directed by Michael Greif, the staging of side-by-side scenes prevents a seamless flow...The audience watches, admires, but never emotionally connects with either woman...You could not ask for more glorious renditions, although the songs, while meaningful, are really not memorable...Visually, 'War Paint' looks like a million bucks, but, while the story is uneven, the show presents what you are really coming to see: Ebersole and LuPone shining as they do with five-star brilliance. "
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M
April 22nd, 2017

“It begins to feel like you’re watching an interlocking double feature of strangely alike by-the-number biopics…The score also gives LuPone plenty of opportunities to show off her distinctive entwining of the Broadway belt, while Ebersole’s numbers are embroidered with filigrees of lovely high notes…You’ll hardly feel that you’ve wasted your money on some totally useless product. It’s well-packaged with some formidable ingredients."
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