HBO'S Grey Gardens Question

[esparza 333]

Posted: 2/14/09 at 5:44pm

I am wondering wether this is the musical version or just a remake of the documentary. Some places on the internet say it is a musical some say it is not. In some early reviews on IMDB nothing about music or singing. But in TV Guide interview with Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore at the Golden Globes they talk about how they had to sing. So i was wondering if anyone knew the real answer.

I apologize if this topic has been discussed before. The search feature is not working on my computer for some reason.

[Chip12]

Posted: 2/14/09 at 5:47pm

Drew Barrymore's in this? She is SOOOOOO funny! Whose Jessica Lange?

[PiraguaGuy2]

Posted: 2/14/09 at 5:48pm

A better actress than Drew Barrymore.

[theaterkid1015]

Posted: 2/14/09 at 5:50pm

As far as I know, this would be the in between of Act 1 and 2 of the musical. This starts where Act 1 ends and goes until the start of the documentary.

I don't know if that's changed, but that's what I think.

[Chip12]

Posted: 2/14/09 at 5:50pm

Really? What was she in?

[esparza 333]

Posted: 2/14/09 at 5:50pm

Jessica Lange is a two time academy award winner and a brilliant thespian. She is one of the greatest actresses of our time.

Updated On: 2/14/09 at 05:50 PM

[Chip12]

Posted: 2/14/09 at 5:52pm

Ooooh wait! I think I know her! She was the mom in Failure to Launch, right?

[esparza 333]

Posted: 2/14/09 at 6:02pm

Nope she was in films like Tootsie with Dustin Hoffman and Blue Sky with Tommy Lee Jones.

[RevolutionaryCostume]

Posted: 2/14/09 at 6:04pm

LOL. . oh my god. . No!

That's Kathy Bates.

Jessica Lange was Angelique in "All That Jazz" and Julie in "Tootsie"

-Jacob.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 2/14/09 at 6:09pm

Chip12 just outed him/herself as a sock puppet. Too bad many have already fallen for his/her false postings.

And to answer the original poster -- the HBO film GREY GARDENS is based on the lives of Edith Bouvier Beale and her daughter Edie. The film covers their relationship from the 1940's thru the mid-1970's, when the Mayles made the historical documentary (yes, we see how the Mayles came into the women's lives, etc.). The plot structure of this film is similar to the one for the recent Broadway musical adaptation: Act 1 being the 1940's and Act being the early 1970's (the time of the documentary).

In her prime, Edith Bouvier Beale was a singer therefore Jessica Lange did need to learn to sing in order to validate this singer element of the character.

If you watch the original 1975 documentary, this'll help you understand how and where the musical element was part of the women's lives -- Big Edie was a singer and Little Edie was a dancer.

I hope this helped clear-up any confusion.

Updated On: 2/14/09 at 06:09 PM

[TimeSquare3]

Posted: 2/14/09 at 6:10pm

Chip, PLEASE stick to your Wicked, RENT, & Spring Awakening. Leave everything else to the big boys.

[Chip12]

Posted: 2/14/09 at 6:16pm

What are you talking about? I'm not a sockpuppet or whatever and I don't even like Rent that much and I've never even heard of Spring Awakening. I'm just a teenage girl who loves theater and musicals, I may not be able to see them, but I listen to every soundtrack I can get my hands on, and I was hoping to make friends with everyone here.

Whatevs. There are nice people here. I'll just ignore the mean people.

[TimeSquare3]

Posted: 2/14/09 at 6:18pm

The mean outweigh the good. Musicals don't have "Soundtracks".

[Chip12]

Posted: 2/14/09 at 6:22pm

Then what do you call the CD, smarty?

[TimeSquare3]

Posted: 2/14/09 at 6:24pm

A "Cast Recording".

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 2/14/09 at 6:27pm

Motion Pictures release Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Recordings
Broadway musicals release Original Broadway Cast Recordings

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 2/14/09 at 6:49pm

Is that Malcolm Gets as Gould?

So excited to see this. Although I really have to ask why Jessica Lange is one of the greatest actresses of our time? I think that might be a bit of a stretch... Did you catch her Amanda Wingfield? Yikes.

[esparza 333]

Posted: 2/14/09 at 6:51pm

Well aside from that she is pretty excellent. She is by no means Meryl Streep but she is pretty excellent and definitely put everything she has into roles.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 2/14/09 at 6:53pm

Allright. But let's just clarify: putting everything into a role doesn't mean you pull it off.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 2/14/09 at 7:19pm

Yup. That IS indeed Macolm Gets as "Gould".

The film airs on HBO this April 2009. Link to video teaser featurette at the bottom of this post.

Here is the film's cast:

Drew Barrymore - 'Little' Edith Bouvier Beale
Jeanne Tripplehorn - Jackie Kennedy Onassis
Jessica Lange - 'Big' Edith Bouvier Beale
Daniel Baldwin - Julius Krug
Justin Louis - David Maysles
Arye Gross - Albert Maysles
Ken Howard - Phelan Beale
Malcolm Gets - George 'Gould' Strong
Marcia Bennett - Hostess
Evan Williams - Young Banker
Joshua Peace - Buddy Bouvier
Melissa Panton - Dancer
Duane Murray - Doorman
Ben Carlson - Principal
Olivia Waldriff - Young Jackie Kennedy - Age 7
Tamsen McDonough - Model (as Tamsen Evans)
Dave Kiner - Louis
Neil Girvan - Concierge
Perry Mucci - Young Photographer
Louis Grise - Young Buddy - Age 12
Sophie Goulet - Patron
Neil Babcock - Young Phelan Jr. - Age 14
Kevin Etherington - Fashion Photographer


HBO's GREY GARDENS Teaser Featurette

[esparza 333]

Posted: 2/15/09 at 9:11pm

wow the pictures look great and the teaser does too. I have high expectations.

[BroadwayBound115]

Posted: 2/15/09 at 9:32pm

Nice choice of cast recordings, BrodyFosse

[Link Larkin Wanabe]

Posted: 2/16/09 at 10:52am

The "Young Banker" is my best buddy! He's Little Edie's first love at the beginning of the movie. He got to mack Drew Barrymore.

Akiva

[dfwtheatreguy]

Posted: 2/16/09 at 1:53pm

i'm still uncertain on this film - is it a dramatized version of the documentary or does it just focus on the "normal" part of their lives (from the pics it looks like it stays in the 40s).

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 2/16/09 at 7:20pm

The films spans several decades -- the 1920's thru the mid-1970's... the time the documentary was made. It covers the life of Edith Bouvier Beale as well as her daughter, Edie. It focuses on their early lives and how they became recluses later in their lives. We'll see Grey Gardens during its heyday and how it fell into shambles. Its not a recreation of the documentary, though we do see how the Mayles brothers first became aware of the ladies and how and why they chose to film them in 1973.

Per the creative team of this HBO biopic... all the information in the film is based on archive material provided by surviving members of the Beale family, mostly from 'Big' Edie's grandchildren. Little Edie's journals and notes were also used to add to the story. A strong attempt to have all of the film's content historically accurate was fully intended.

The reason why all of the press photos released so far is of the women in their prime (the 1940's) is simply to keep the 1970's period a surprise as this is the timeframe everyone is familiar with. I'm sure once the film airs hords of photos of Drew and Jessica in their 'aged' make-up as 'Big' Edie and 'Little' Edie will be everywhere.

If you can't wait... a simple look at the featurette (see my previous post) on the film will show you the 2 actresses in their 'aged' make-up for the 70's portion of the film. Yes... that is Drew and Jessica in the featurette -- that is not footage of the actual documentary.