The Women’s Division hosted cocktails and conversation this past spring at Aureole restaurant in Manhattan, followed by a trip to the Broadway musical War Paint. Women’s Division co-presidents Terri Goldberg and Trudy Schlachter welcomed the group to Aureole and introduced members of the War Paint creative and production teams, which included Tony Award–winning playwright Doug Wright and Tony-nominated composer Scott Frankel, along with producers Patrick Catullo and Aaron Glick. The War Paint representatives discussed myriad aspects of the show, which chronicles the rivalry between cosmetics titans Helena Rubinstein (an honoree at the 1961 Spirit of Achievement Luncheon!) and Elizabeth Arden. Attendees departed for the theater following a lively question-and-answer session.

Actresses Patti LuPone and Christine Ebersole play Rubinstein and Arden, the 20th-century entrepreneurs who revolutionized the cosmetics industry by emphasizing the science behind their products, and also inspired generations of women. The production is based on Lindy Woodhead’s 2004 bookWar Paint and on the 2007 documentary The Powder and the Glory by Ann Carol Grossman and Arnie Reisman.