Grey Gardens

Lisa Horner and Nicola Lipman in Grey Gardens. Photo by Racheal McCaig.

If you loved the Maysles Brothers' 1976 documentary Grey Gardens you need to see this show. If you haven't seen the film, you need to watch it and then go see this show. Grey Gardens the musical, with book by Doug Wright, music by Scott Frankel and lyrics by Michael Korie, won three Tony Awards in 2007. This season, Acting Up Stage Company brings the show to Toronto in a stunning new production, now on stage at the Berkeley Street Theatre. 

The Maysles' documentary gave the public a behind-closed-doors look at the curious lives of two “staunch” and legendary women: Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale and her daughter Edith Bouvier Beale—the infamous aunt and cousin of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Once the pinnacle of American high society, Big Edie and Little Edie became tabloid fodder in the 1970s when they were discovered living alongside feral cats and raccoons in the dilapidated, flea-infested remains of the family’s East Hampton estate. The musical adaptation of this fascinating story sheds speculative light on the Beale's background, fleshing out their characters and allowing us to better understand their eventual fall from grace.

The first act is mainly set at Grey Gardens in 1941. We meet Edith Bouvier Beale (Lisa Horner) as she prepares to host an engagement party for her gorgeous daughter, young Edie (Kira Guloien) who is betrothed to the successful, Washington-bound Joe Kenney Jr. (Jeff Lillico). Young Edie's cousins, Jackie Bouvier (Amariah Faulkner) and Lee Bouvier (Hannah Levinson), are also present for the big event, along with Edith's father Major Bouvier (Victor A. Young). Excitement builds as they wait for Edith's husband and young Edie's father, Phelen Beale, to arrive on "The Five Fifteen" train from New York City. However, young Edie's dreams are threatened when Edith insists on doing a show for the guests, lining up a program of nine songs to perform with her live-in accompanist George Gould Strong (Tim Funnell). In an unfortunate turn of events, young Edie's father declines to make an appearance and her mother ultimately drives Joe away with her over-the-top personality and tales of her daughter's mildly scandalous past.

It's clear from the musical number "Two Peas in a Pod" that the mother-daughter duo care for each other deeply and share a competitive love of the spotlight. But Little Edie dreams of escaping the stranglehold of Grey Gardens, and the first act ends with her leaving her soon-to-be-divorced mother to find a new life for herself in the city.

The second half of the musical picks up in 1973 where the documentary begins. Camellia Koo's creative set is magically transformed from dignified to derelict, and we meet an older Little Edie (now played by Horner) who introduces us to Grey Gardens where she ultimately returned to take care of her mother (Nicola Lipman) after a failed attempt at becoming an actress. The eccentric world of the two Edies is highlighted in the musical number "Entering Grey Gardens" performed by the entire cast. Audiences will recognize many scenes from the documentary, right down to the outfits and verbatim dialogue. As Little Edie and Big Edie talk about their lives and argue over the details, Little Edie admits, "it's hard to keep the line between the past and the present."

At the heart of Grey Gardens is Little Edie's dilemma: should she go off and see the world or remain by her mother's side in the only home she has ever known? The songs "Around The World" and "Another Winter in a Summer Town" beautifully illustrate her lifelong struggle.

Grey Gardens is an entertaining and heartbreaking exploration of the co-dependent relationship between two stubborn women, who in many ways were ahead of their time. They don't fit the status quo, and that's the real tragedy of their story. Maybe in a different era they would have thrived as independent single women, although there are still many prejudices against so-called "staunch" women today.

Director Ann Hodges gets terrific performances out of the talented ensemble: Guloien stands out as the bold yet fragile young Edie, and Horner steals every scene as Edith in the first half and Little Edie in the second. Her committment to both roles is simply brilliant.

Don't miss Acting Up Stage company's outstanding production, featuring remarkable performances, haunting orchestrations and, of course, two wonderfully rich characters. Grey Gardens runs until March 6, 2016 at the Berkeley Street Theatre. Visit actingupstage.com for more information and to buy tickets.

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Q&A: Grey Gardens

Lisa Horner talks about performing in musical adaptation of Grey Gardens