Breaking: Patti LuPone to Undergo Surgery; WAR PAINT Will Close Earlier Than Planned

The new Broadway musical, War Paint, which stars Broadway legends and two-time Tony Award winners Patti LuPone and Christine Ebersole together for the first time, will now play its final performance on Sunday, November 5, 2017.

Originally scheduled to close on December 30, War Paint will close early to allow Ms. LuPone to have necessary and immediate hip replacement surgery. Upon closing, the musical will have played 236 regular and 33 preview performances at the Nederlander Theatre (208 West 41st Street).

"It is with great sadness that I must leave War Paint to undergo hip replacement surgery. For several months I have been performing in a great deal of pain. My producers David Stone and Marc Platt have provided an incredible team who, through physical therapy, chiropractic and acupuncture, have enabled me to continue on stage," said Patti LuPone. "But the pain has now become too intense and I have no other choice but to leave Christine, John, Doug, and this wonderfully supportive company of actors, who I've had the great privilege to work with for over a year. I will miss them more than I can express. "

"We had all hoped - no-one more than Patti - that we would be able to continue until our scheduled final performance on December 30," said producers David Stone and Marc Platt. "We all know Patti is strong, and she has proven to have even more strength than we imagined. At this point, however, she needs to have hip replacement surgery sooner rather than later. Therefore, we have to move up our final performance to November 5. On behalf of Christine and the entire company and crew, we wish her a speedy recovery."

Tickets for all remaining performances can be purchased at www.warpaintmusical.com or by calling 877.250.2929. Tickets sold for performances after November 5 can be rescheduled or refunded at their point of purchase.

Following a wildly acclaimed, sold out run at the Goodman Theatre in the summer of 2016, War Paint opened on Broadway on April 6, 2017. The musical features a book by Doug Wright, music by Scott Frankel, lyrics by Michael Korie,choreography by Christopher Gattelli, and direction by Michael Greif. War Paint charts the legendary lives of two trailblazing women - cosmetics entrepreneurs Helena Rubinstein (LuPone) and Elizabeth Arden (Ebersole).

The musical is inspired by the book, War Paint, by Lindy Woodhead and the documentary film, The Powder & the Glory, by Ann Carol Grossman and Arnie Reisman.

The company of War Paint also includes Tony Award nominee John Dossett, Chris Hoch, Barbara Jo Bednarczuk, Patti Cohenour, Mary Ernster, Tom Galantich, David Girolmo, Joanna Glushak, Mary Claire King, Steffanie Leigh, Erik Liberman, Barbara Marineau, Donna Migliaccio, Stephanie Jae Park, Jennifer Rias, Angel Reda, Tally Sessions, andBart Shatto.

WAR PAINT tells the remarkable story of cosmetics titans Helena Rubinstein (LuPone) and Elizabeth Arden (Ebersole), whodefined beauty standards for the first half of the 20th Century. Brilliant innovators with humble roots, both women were masters of self-invention who sacrificed everything to become the country's first major female entrepreneurs. They were also fierce competitors, whose 50-year tug-of-war would give birth to an industry that would forever change the face of America. From Fifth Avenue society to the halls of Congress, their intense rivalry was ruthless, relentless and legendary-pushing both women to build international empires in a world dominated by men.

WAR PAINT is produced by David Stone, Marc Platt, James L. Nederlander, Barbara Whitman, Patrick Catullo, Marcia Goldberg, Universal Stage Productions, Independent Presenters Network and Goodman Theatre.

WAR PAINT features scenic design by David Korins, costume design by Catherine Zuber, lighting design by Kenneth Posner, sound design by Brian Ronan, orchestrations by Bruce Coughlin and music direction by Lawrence Yurman.

Photo credit: Joan Marcus