Theatre devotees are flocking to Chicago for the chance to see Patti LuPone and Christine Ebersole star together in the new musical, War Paint.  You don’t think I’d let a little hospital stay keep me away from seeing two double Tony Award winners sparring, do you?  So off I went – facial bandaging be damned.  As luck would have it, the musicalized story of cosmetic mavens Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden included a passing moment of electroshock therapy, but that’s neither hither nor yon.  It’s a curious thing to form a show around two women who never actually met despite having so much in common (including swapping the men in their lives).  Most of the show is done in parallel scenes on opposite sides of the stage, with the ladies only meeting face-to-face in a fictitious late-life encounter.  Despite both women’s success, they are victims of their own ambition, of the times, and of their inability to change.  Arden is not allowed to join an exclusive club (which she helped design) because “for a woman to have money is one thing.  But to earn it?  Surely you understand that changes things”.  Likewise, Rubinstein is discriminated against when trying to buy a penthouse because of her ethnicity.  Recounting this episode, LuPone’s Rubinstein is sanguine:  “So, what did I do?  Did I cry like a child?  Do I walk away?  No – I buy the building, instead!”  Shades of Evita.

Both LuPone and Ebersole are at the top of their game.  Both are actresses of extraordinary calibre whose vocal abilities are two sides of the same coin: Ebersole a cooler, purer soprano, while LuPone is more idiosyncratic, guttural, and harsh.  These vocal attributes fit the characters ideally – not surprising since the roles were written for them.  And yet, there are times when the singers swap harmonies with striking dramatic results.  It made me wonder how each would play the other’s role.  It’s a challenge that perhaps they’ll tackle one day.  For now, the show has been extended at Chicago’s Goodman until August 21 (if you can get a ticket).  I don’t think it’s too early to anticipate a very healthy Broadway run shortly thereafter – after a bit of tweaking and judicious pruning.  While only a few scant seconds of video of the musical have been released, you won’t be surprised to hear that quite a bit more has made its way into my rather well-worn lap.  A certain someone has supplied us with fantastic footage of the full final face-off.  And the only place you’ll see these fabulous 15 minutes is on BillyMasters.com.