“The truth is never in good taste.” —War Paint
Which is too bad, because that narrative is pretty fascinating.
But then the function of “If I’d Been a Man” isn’t to get at a truth about our protagonists. As far as I can tell, it’s meant to soften them up some so they don’t come across as complete monsters. A really damning representation of Rubinstein and Arden would first of all be seen as politically backward, and, second, offer the show’s stars no opportunity to ingratiate themselves. Those stars are big too: Christine Ebersole as Arden, looking like Pat Nixon in Catherine Zuber’s costumes and David Brian Brown’s hair designs, and Patti LuPone, resembling nothing so much as a Baltic Ruth Bader Ginsburg, as Rubinstein. The two of them are absorbing to watch, marvelous to hear: true, unspun divas. v
Wed-Thu 7:30 PM, Fri 8 PM, Sat 2 and 8 PM, Sun 2 and 7:30 PM (except 8/7, 2 PM only), Tue 7:30 PM; also Thu 7/21, 7/28, and 8/4, 2 PM, Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn, 312-443-3800, goodmantheatre.org, $44-$200.
