Cabaret Scenes Theatre Review

"How could American royalty fall so far so fast?"

Though not "American royalty" in the Rockefeller sense, Edith Bouvier Beale and her daughter, "Little" Edie, were two Long Island socialites whose lives started in opulence and ended in deprivation. Their East Hampton mansion, Grey Gardens, once entertained the rich and famous and later hosted mice, cats, vermin, filth and the two Edies. Just be glad they were not your neighbors or worse, your relatives. They were, however, the aunt and cousin of Jacqueline Bouvier who as a child, spent considerable time at Grey Gardens with her sister.

The Beale story was publicized in 1975 in David and Albert Maysles' documentary film. With book adaptation by Doug Wright, Scott Frankel's music and Michael Korie's lyrics, Playwrights Horizons presented a semi-fictionalized, musical Grey Gardens off-Broadway before moving to Broadway's Walter Kerr Theatre.

Christine Ebersole rules the show. She plays dual roles with heartbreak, humor and humanity - Edith Bouvier Beale, wealthy, frustrated "actress without a stage," and 56 year-old "Little" Edie in 1973. Mary Louise Wilson brilliantly joins Ebersole in Act II as the aged and impoverished Edith.

Changes for Broadway included judicious editing of Act I, resulting in a tight, focused storyline to buttress the Beales' decline. Erin Davie is a welcome replacement as "Little" Edie, showing vulnerability along with grit. In the elegant Grey Gardens of 1941, the day of "Little" Edie's engagement party to Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., her indefatigable, controlling mother (Ebersole) prepares to present a living room musicale with accompanist/confidant, George Gould Strong. "Little" Edie is determined that Edith not dominate the party, but the outcome is obvious. While the daughter desperately insists she is "Daddy's Girl", capable and responsible, a sprightly duet with her mother, "Peas in a Pod," indicates their interdependence and combative competition.

Edith fears that life with the politically ambitious young Kennedy may not be the best for her spirited "Little" Edie. Nor does she want to loosen her own control over the girl. Edith, therefore, manipulates the engagement breakup by revealing to Kennedy that "Little" Edie's past indiscretions led to her sobriquet, "Body Beautiful Beale." It works: Kennedy bolts, deciding the Beales are a tad too bizarre for his ambitions. The party further unravels: Edith receives a wire that her wayward husband is getting a Mexican divorce. "Little" Edie, now veering toward a breakdown, runs off to New York City. So ends Act I, and so end the best years of the Beale ladies' lives.

Matt Cavanaugh has polished his Joe Kennedy characterization but he is more believable as the simple Jerry. Sarah Hyland and Kelsey Fowler deftly portray young Jacqueline and Lee Bouvier, caught up in the Beales' energy and theatricality. John McMartin is compelling as Edith's crusty, disapproving father; he advises his grandnieces to "Marry Well." Bob Stillman is wryly appropriate as the alcoholic George Gould Strong, and Michael Potts is deferential as butler and later handyman.

Frankel and Korie's songs are melodic and captivating, enhancing the bizarre direction of these two nonconformists. Pre-war sophistication sparkles in Act I with the wistful "Will You?." "The Five-Fifteen" is a bouncy quickstep, and "Drift Away" reveals an inevitable parting. The butler watches with discreet amazement as Edith, her nieces, and Gould sing "(All God's Chillun Love) Hominy Grits."

Act II reflects a darker Sondheim-essence. "Little" Edie proudly delivers "The Revolutionary Costume for Today," her "costume" totally absurd. Wilson's Edith is feisty and manipulative, knowing which "Little" Edie buttons to push, self-satisfied with "The Cake I Had," (taunting "Little" Edie with, "Is it my fault your cake fell flat?") and caustically sly with "Jerry Likes My Corn." "Another Winter in a Summer Town" poignantly sketches "Little" Edie's bleak future. "You lived. I never lived," she tells her mother.

William Ivey Long designed sumptuous gowns for Edith in Act I and shredding nightgowns in Act II. In 1941, "Little" Edie wore innocent flimsy dresses, far removed from the eccentric attire and turban/snood get-up of later years. Allen Moyer's set design displays Grey Gardens' patrician pre-war elegance and, with Peter Kaczorowski's lighting, evokes the squalor of later years with ghosts of the past as eerie reminders in the dank, grey air.

Director Michael Greif crisply juggles the bitter humor of Grey Gardens. In the love/hate struggle between two complex women, there is no winner between these interdependent characters, but it is win, place and show for Christine Ebersole's performance.

Elizabeth Ahlfors
Cabaret Scenes
November 13, 2006
www.cabaretscenes.org



	Grey Gardens Walter Kerr Theatre New York, NY
"How could American royalty fall so far so fast?" Though not "American royalty" in the Rockefeller sense, Edith Bouvier Beale and her daughter, "Little" Edie, were two Long Island socialites whose lives started in opulence and ended in deprivation. Their East Hampton mansion, Grey Gardens, once entertained the rich and famous and later hosted mice, cats, vermin, filth and the two Edies. Just be glad they were not your neighbors or worse, your relatives. They were, however, the aunt and cousin of Jacqueline Bouvier who as a child, spent considerable time at Grey Gardens with her sister. The Beale story was publicized in 1975 in David and Albert Maysles' documentary film. With book adaptation by Doug Wright, Scott Frankel's music and Michael Korie's lyrics, Playwrights Horizons presented a semi-fictionalized, musical Grey Gardens off-Broadway before moving to Broadway's Walter Kerr Theatre. Christine Ebersole rules the show. She plays dual roles with heartbreak, humor and humanity - Edith Bouvier Beale, wealthy, frustrated "actress without a stage," and 56 year-old "Little" Edie in 1973. Mary Louise Wilson brilliantly joins Ebersole in Act II as the aged and impoverished Edith. Changes for Broadway included judicious editing of Act I, resulting in a tight, focused storyline to buttress the Beales' decline. Erin Davie is a welcome replacement as "Little" Edie, showing vulnerability along with grit. In the elegant Grey Gardens of 1941, the day of "Little" Edie's engagement party to Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., her indefatigable, controlling mother (Ebersole) prepares to present a living room musicale with accompanist/confidant, George Gould Strong. "Little" Edie is determined that Edith not dominate the party, but the outcome is obvious. While the daughter desperately insists she is "Daddy's Girl", capable and responsible, a sprightly duet with her mother, "Peas in a Pod," indicates their interdependence and combative competition. Edith fears that life with the politically ambitious young Kennedy may not be the best for her spirited "Little" Edie. Nor does she want to loosen her own control over the girl. Edith, therefore, manipulates the engagement breakup by revealing to Kennedy that "Little" Edie's past indiscretions led to her sobriquet, "Body Beautiful Beale." It works: Kennedy bolts, deciding the Beales are a tad too bizarre for his ambitions. The party further unravels: Edith receives a wire that her wayward husband is getting a Mexican divorce. "Little" Edie, now veering toward a breakdown, runs off to New York City. So ends Act I, and so end the best years of the Beale ladies' lives. Matt Cavanaugh has polished his Joe Kennedy characterization but he is more believable as the simple Jerry. Sarah Hyland and Kelsey Fowler deftly portray young Jacqueline and Lee Bouvier, caught up in the Beales' energy and theatricality. John McMartin is compelling as Edith's crusty, disapproving father; he advises his grandnieces to "Marry Well." Bob Stillman is wryly appropriate as the alcoholic George Gould Strong, and Michael Potts is deferential as butler and later handyman. Frankel and Korie's songs are melodic and captivating, enhancing the bizarre direction of these two nonconformists. Pre-war sophistication sparkles in Act I with the wistful "Will You?." "The Five-Fifteen" is a bouncy quickstep, and "Drift Away" reveals an inevitable parting. The butler watches with discreet amazement as Edith, her nieces, and Gould sing "(All God's Chillun Love) Hominy Grits." Act II reflects a darker Sondheim-essence. "Little" Edie proudly delivers "The Revolutionary Costume for Today," her "costume" totally absurd. Wilson's Edith is feisty and manipulative, knowing which "Little" Edie buttons to push, self-satisfied with "The Cake I Had," (taunting "Little" Edie with, "Is it my fault your cake fell flat?") and caustically sly with "Jerry Likes My Corn." "Another Winter in a Summer Town" poignantly sketches "Little" Edie's bleak future. "You lived. I never lived," she tells her mother. William Ivey Long designed sumptuous gowns for Edith in Act I and shredding nightgowns in Act II. In 1941, "Little" Edie wore innocent flimsy dresses, far removed from the eccentric attire and turban/snood get-up of later years. Allen Moyer's set design displays Grey Gardens' patrician pre-war elegance and, with Peter Kaczorowski's lighting, evokes the squalor of later years with ghosts of the past as eerie reminders in the dank, grey air. Director Michael Greif crisply juggles the bitter humor of Grey Gardens. In the love/hate struggle between two complex women, there is no winner between these interdependent characters, but it is win, place and show for Christine Ebersole's performance. Elizabeth Ahlfors Cabaret Scenes November 13, 2006 www.cabaretscenes.org

Grey Gardens

Walter Kerr Theatre New York, NY

Walter Kerr Theatre
New York, NY