Curtain up: World premiere of Powder and Paint is a hit

The world premiere of a musical which chronicles the life of Helena Rubinstein through two thousand of her letters and telegrams has wowed crowds in a Mid Devon town.

The dramatic and emotional life story of the founder of modern make-up was brought to life by Crediton’s amateur dramatic society at its gala performance last night (Wednesday) and will run every night until Saturday.

The carnage of the First World War, the emotional strains of a cheating husband, life in a world where women were not even allowed to vote, arch rivalry with Elizabeth Arden; it is all here, written by the hand of Helena herself.

The inspiration for ‘Powder and Paint’ came when the producer, James Bulmer, inherited, from his mother, a box full of correspondence between Helena and the manageress of her Mayfair salon, Rosa Bird.

James said: ‘It was a story just crying out to be turned in to a musical. And now that is what we have. This is popular, West End music which is light and catchy. The songs are a colourful mix, ranging from pastiche rag time to jazz and from Noel Coward to Cole Porter. ‘

James originally wrote a film treatment but then, when he decided to turn the Rubinstein story in to a musical, he brought together a team to work on lyrics and music. Retired Brigadier, Ant Stevens, wrote the lyrics and the book of the musical, based on the film treatment. He is also director of the show. The majority of the music for Powder and Paint was composed by retired military Major General, Mike Heath.

For more information about CODs and Powder and Paint, visit www.codsonline.com or www.powderandpaint-themusical.com

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