‘WAR PAINT’: Christine Ebersole & Patti LuPone. Photo: Joan Marcus

WAR PAINT
Book by Doug Wright
Music by Scott Frankel
Lyrics by Michael Korie
Directed by Michael Greif
Choreography by Christopher Gattelli
Nederlander Theatre
208 West 41st Street
(877-250-2929), www.warpaintmusical.com

By David NouNou

Due to a scheduling mix-up, I had the good fortune to see War Paint as the last show of the season. After seeing so many movies turned into mediocre musicals, I can honestly say it was a thrill to enjoy this gem of an original musical. I am not saying it’s perfect, but for an audience that can remember the wonderful musicals of the 1950s and 1960s, this is as close as you can get to such wonderful heights.

With a witty book by Doug Wright, an excellent melodic score by Scott Frankel and Michael Korie (all three of Grey Gardens fame) and deft direction by Michael Greif, they have created a highly entertaining musical about world-renowned cosmeticians Helena Rubinstein (Patti LuPone) and Elizabeth Arden (Christine Ebersole).

Rubinstein was from a Polish shtetl and Arden came from a poor farm in Ontario, Canada. Both women came to America and reinvented themselves as the prima donnas of beauty. Madame Rubinstein, as she became known, catered to wealthy European immigrants, while Arden catered to New York society. They competed with each other for more than 50 years, never having met, but they revolutionized the beauty industry. In addition, they were the only females who owned their own businesses at the time. They had their ups and downs and unfortunately for them, they didn’t know when it was time to change with the times. When things were being re-branded for the young market, they clung to their “exclusive” roots.

I did mention earlier this is not a perfect musical and that’s because the two protagonists never met.  You have these two magnificent titans and there is no conflict between them; they just refer to each other as “the other one.”When you think of Grey Gardens, the two women were constantly together, thus creating the friction. Here you have two giants who live parallel lives and they don’t intersect, thus creating a vacuum.

However, when you have two legendary actresses the likes of Patti LuPone and Christine Ebersole, there is little to fret about the vacuum. These women know how to manipulate a line and an audience. Their presence and outstanding vocal gifts fill any gaps in the story line. Their performances are award worthy; they recently both received Tony nominations for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical, and deservedly so. I only wish that the score was nominated as well. Mr. Greif, the director, got the nomination for Dear Evan Hansen.

War Paint earned two additional nominations for the lovely costumes by Catherine Zuber and a sublime set by David Korins. Thanks to Mr. Korins, audiences finally get to see a realized set that moves like a Swiss watch and not some tacky cheap set that is moved by actors or stagehands. That was the norm back in Broadway’s golden years, with sets that moved effortlessly and transported you to another world. Thanks to War Paint and its creators and designers and especially to Ms. LuPone and Ms. Ebersole, we are transported again.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published May 4, 2017
Reviewed at performance on May 3, 2017

‘WAR PAINT’: Christine Ebersole, Patti LuPone & cast. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘WAR PAINT’: Pattil LuPone. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘WAR PAINT’: (left to right) Jennifer Rias, Steffanie Leigh, Christine Ebersole, Mary Claire King, Stephanie Jae Park. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘WAR PAINT’: Douglas Sills & Patti LuPone. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘WAR PAINT’: Christine Ebersole. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘WAR PAINT’: Douglas Sills & John Dossett. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘WAR PAINT’: Christine Ebersole & John Dossett. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘WAR PAINT’: Christine Ebersole & John Dossett. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘WAR PAINT’: Christine Ebersole. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘WAR PAINT’: Christine Ebersole. Photo: Joan Marcus

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DISNEY STAR TAKES BROADWAY: Vanessa Hudgens in ‘Gigi.’ Photo: Joan Marcus

GIGI
Book & lyrics by Alan J. Lerner
Music by Frederick Loewe
Adapted by Heidi Thomas
Based on a novel by Colette
Choreographed by Joshua Bergasse
Directed by Eric Schaeffer
Neil Simon Theatre
250 West 42nd Street
(877-250-2929), http://www.GigiOnBroadway.com

By David NouNou

Gigi came alive as a charming novella by Colette, set in Paris around 1900, about a young girl being trained to be a courtesan. A thin story that was turned into a play in 1951 with an unknown Audrey Hepburn as Gigi, and due to the phenomenal success of Lerner and Loewe’s My Fair Lady, M.G.M. commissioned them to write the book and the score to the magnificent and illustrious 1958 movie that won nine well-deserved Oscars, including one for Best Picture, and one for the brilliant direction by Vincent Minnelli. And what a superb movie that was. Then, in 1973, Alan Jay Lerner took it upon himself to do a stage adaption of this once brilliant and delightful movie and turned it into a vapid and disastrous musical flop. Dear readers, I think you know where I am going with this.

Life has been hard on Gigi, and the poor girl hasn’t aged well; not because she was training to be a courtesan, but due to the ill treatment she has gotten in her various incarnations from the hands of the creative teams that have taken it upon themselves to mangle her story. Alan Jay Lerner wounded her in 1973, but Heidi Thomas’ new adaptation has murdered her. This was once a charming lightweight story of a young girl being raised by her grandmother and tutored by her great aunt to get the best things that life and men could offer her. After all, this was Paris, and one didn’t have to worry about puritanical ideas or the politically correct and non-offensive ideologies that this current version proffers.

In this sanitized version, Gigi is a strong-minded girl who learns how to pour coffee into a cup without spilling a drop; she loves to read the gossip columns and doesn’t understand the Parisians in why they always want to make love. Here she isn’t really being trained for anything useful, not even being a good courtesan.

What was once a score that was sheer perfection, and written especially for that particular character, has now been distributed randomly for the sake of avoiding the audience any queasiness. The innocent opening number “Thank Heaven For Little Girls,” which was so charmingly sung by Honore Lachaille/Maurice Chevalier, praising young girls “growing up in the most delightful way,” has been given to Mamita (Victoria Clark), Gigi’s grandmama and Aunt Alicia (Dee Hoty), which makes no sense at all. “The Night They Invented Champagne” is now a full, tacky, tasteless production number; and one of the most expressive solo songs, “I’m Glad I’m Not Young Anymore,” which was Honores’ swan song, is now a love duet with him (Howard McGillin) and Mamita. And the missteps keep piling up. Eric Schaeffer, who in 2011 directed the best revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Follies ever, is totally at a loss here. There is no real justification or motive for what any of the characters are doing, saying or singing.

I can’t really fault any of the performances, for they were given a script to act and do what they were told. Vanessa Hudgens as Gigi starts out too all-American and perky, vestiges of her Disney days still intact, but settles in nicely in Act II. Victoria Clark’s Mamita as usual delivers the goods no matter what she is given. Corey Cott as Gaston, Gigi’s love interest, is in good voice but comes across more as a rich kid than a debonair, bored leading man. Dee Hoty is too shrill as Aunt Alicia and seems more of a caricature than a worldly woman of the world. Howard McGillin as Honore Lachaille has been stripped of any charm the character once possessed.

Poor Gigi, she has not aged in a most delightful way, and the champagne has turned to vinegar. Ending on a positive note, Catherine Zuber’s costumes are beautiful.

GAY PAREE: (left to right) Corey Cott, Vanessa Hudgens, Victoria Clark & ensemble. Photo: Joan Marcus

LA BELLE FRANCE: The ensemble of the Broadway revival ‘Gigi.’ Photo: Joan Marcus

UPDATED ‘GIGI’ MISSES THE MARK: Steffanie Leigh, Howard McGillin, Victoria Clark, Vanessa Hudgens, Corey Cott, Dee Hoty & ensemble. Photo: Joan Marcus

GIGI & GENTLEMAN: Vanessa Hudgens & Corey Cott. Photo: Joan Marcus

STEFFANIE LEIGH: As Liane d’Exelmans, dancing with ensemble in ‘Gigi.’ Photo: Joan Marcus

COLORFUL BUT MISGUIDED: A scene from ‘Gigi.’ Photo: Joan Marcus

SANITIZED ‘GIGI’ REVIVAL (left to right): Victoria Clark, Corey Cott & Vanessa Hudgens. Photo: Joan Marcus

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published April 15, 2015
Reviewed at press performance on April 14, 2015

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