Welcome to The Broadway Musical Grey Gardens
Book by Doug Wright
Music by Scott Frankel
Lyrics by Michael Korie
Directed by Michael Greif
Contents at a Glance
- Who is Little Edie?
- Grey Gardens 2007 Tony Award Performance
- The Inspiration and Source for the Broadway Musical Grey Gardens
Grey Gardens Original Cast Recording (Off Broadway) CD Cover
Who is Little Edie?
A young beauty, Little Edie began modeling at 17 years old. In order to care for her sick mother, she left New York City and a fairly successful career as a model, actress, and singer. She stayed at Grey Gardens and watched over her mother for over 20 years until her death. Little Edie's rich father had left mother and daughter with nothing but a paltry trust fund. Everything else went to the family that he had with his second wife. With nothing but broken dreams, the mansion and her life decayed all around her.
Grey Gardens 2007 Tony Award Performance
Christine Ebersole sings "The Revolutionary Costume For Today"
The Inspiration and Source for the Broadway Musical Grey Gardens
Grey Gardens the Documentary Film
The Maysles' documentary shows the Beales' daily life amid the squalor and the strong but painful bonds between Little Edie and her mother. In the film they tell amusing stories about the past, talk about fighting the Health Department, and sing songs for the camera. Edie occasionally dances and proudly shows off her unusual, makeshift fashions which she refers to as "costumes".
A lot of the dialog and lyrics from the musical came directly or were adapted from this documentary. Here are some of the memorable quotes from this movie.
Grey Gardens Documentary DVD
Grey Gardens - Criterion Collection
Amazon Price: $23.99 (as of 07/12/2009)
The Maysles brothers' documentary about the Beales.
Christine Ebersole Gives a Double Performance in the Broadway Musical Grey Gardens.
The second act is set in the time of the documentary. Christine now plays a middle-aged Little Edie and Mary Louise Wilson plays her mother. It is this act that really is the heart of the show and Christine perfectly captures Little Edie's unique voice and mannerisms that are so recognizable from the documentary.
The double role is a great challenge for any actress. The moods, music, and characters are highly contrasted. The first act is classic light melodic Broadway in the style of Jerome Kern and Cole Porter. The second act has a more modern Sondheim inspired style and the material walks a fine balance between dark irony and camp.
Christine Ebersole sings "Around the World"
Interview with the Playwright of Broadway Musical Grey Gardens
New York Magazine
ON Stage: Interview with Michael Korie and Scott Frankel
The Lyricist and Composer for the Broadway Musical Grey Gardens
The Revolutionary Costume for Today
(Edie)
You fight City Hall with a Persian shawl
That used to hang on the bedroom wall,
Pinned under the chin, adorned with a pin
And pulled into a twist.
Lyric by Michael Korie
The Official Website of the Broadway Musical Grey Gardens
Grey Gardens Reviews
Grey Gardens on NPR
Radio Feature about the Musical
The Future of the Musical Grey Gardens
Before the show closed in July of 2007, there was talk of a possible national tour or a run in London. Neither has happened yet. In November and December 2007, there were mentions of a London run in the New York Post and Playbill. Scott Frankel and Christine Ebersole took a trip to London's West End at the end of 2007. Unfortunately nothing came of the plans. Currently the rights to the script and music have gone back to the creators - Doug Wright, Scott Frankel, and Michael Korie.
Sources:
Liz Smith at New York Post
Kenneth Jones at Playbill.com
Interview with Christine Ebersole and Mary Louise wilson
Central Actresses of the Broadway Musical Grey Gardens
Honors for the Broadway Musical Grey Gardens
Awards and Nominations
2007 Tony Award® Best Actress in a Musical - Christine Ebersole
2007 Tony Award® Best Featured Actress in a Musical - Mary Louise Wilson
2007 Tony Award® Best Costume Design of a Musical - Costume Design by William Ivey Long
2007 Theatre World Award - Erin Davie
Nominations
2007 Tony Award® Best Musical - Produced by East of Doheny, Staunch Entertainment, Randall L. Wreghitt, Mort Swinsky, Michael Alden, Edwin W. Schloss; Produced in association with Playwrights Horizons (Tim Sanford: Artistic Director, Leslie Marcus: Managing Director)
2007 Tony Award® Best Book of a Musical - Book by Doug Wright
2007 Tony Award® Best Original Score - Music by Scott Frankel; Lyrics by Michael Korie
2007 Tony Award® Best Direction of a Musical - Michael Greif
2007 Tony Award® Best Orchestrations - Bruce Coughlin
2007 Tony Award® Best Scenic Design of a Musical - Scenic Design by Allen Moyer
2007 Tony Award® Best Lighting Design of a Musical - Lighting Design by Peter Kaczorowski
Original Broadway Cast Recording of the Musical Grey Gardens
Broadway Musical Grey Gardens Lyrics
Vote for Your Favorite Grey Gardens Song
Vote for the Song You Love
Grey Gardens Memorabilia on eBay
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Theater Lights, photo by ijsendoorn at Stock.xchng
The Cake I Had
(Edie) (Spoken)
I think the saddest thing was my not marrying.
During the war, my best friend, she was a nurse with the Red Cross... she met
somebody overseas in a hospital. A Marine.
Lost both of his legs at Iwo Jima.
Romance was inevitable, really, given the situation. But I couldn't travel.
Vote for the Best Grey Gardens Quote
taken from the lyrics
2
Have your cake and eat it!
Edith (Mother): I most certainly did have my cake more...1 point
3
They can get you in East Hampton
Edie: Honestly, they can get you in East Hampton f more...1 point
7
The full-length velvet glove
Edie: Then you can be with cousin Lee on Mr. Black more...0 points
8
Jerry can forget about it!
Edie: Tomcats! All of 'em! So you might as well te more...0 points
My Broadway Related Articles
Grey Gardens and Broadway Related Articles
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Lens Audience Reviews
Thanks for dropping by. Please share your feedback or any ideas to improve or add to this lens.
ChapelHillFiddler wrote...
Never saw the musical but was dazed by the movie and wrote about it in my blog, http://pratie.blogspot.com/2005/09/grey-gardens.html. Thanks for sharing this with us.
Posted July 09, 2009
norbridgeantiques wrote...
Thank you for this. I am looking forward to seeing the movie with Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore. 5*
Posted March 24, 2009
vbright105 wrote...
I've not seen the documentary, but now would LOVE to! I can't enjoy the musical, but maybe I'll try to track down the documentary with Closed Captioning and get the book too! I love true historical stories. Thanks for sharing this wonderful information.
Posted December 20, 2008
GrowWear wrote...
I have seen the documentary -- one of my favorites! Great lens! Would love to see the play.
Posted December 20, 2008
MarcoG wrote...
Great lens...this would look fab in my group hehe ...theatricality
Posted September 30, 2008
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