Theater divas Patti LuPone and Christine Ebersole will star as cosmetics magnates and competitive rivals Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden, respectively, in War Paint, a new musical set to debut at the Goodman Theatre in June 2016, it was announced this afternoon. The project will reunite the Grey Gardens creative team of songwriters Scott Frankel and Michael Korie, book writer Doug Wright and director Michael Greif.
Ebersole won a Tony Award for her performance in Grey Gardens, with another for 42nd Street. LuPone is also a two-time Tony winner, for Evita and Gypsy. With War Paint presumed to have its dramatically made-up eye on Broadway, the two could end up rivals in real life for a third. The musical draws material from a book by the same name by Lindy Woodhead, as well as a documentary, The Powder & the Glory, by Ann Carol Grossman and Arnie Reisman.
At least partly in order to accommodate the new production, the Goodman announced this morning that Mary Zimmerman's previously announced revival of Wonderful Town will move to fall 2016.