Grey Gardens 1/14/07 absence- Page 2

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 1/14/07 at 11:47pm

"Erin Davie was the upset of the show..."

BwayBaby18, could you clarify what you mean by this? I'm not sure if you mean you liked her or didn't.

[addisonmill]

Posted: 1/14/07 at 11:58pm

I saw Dale on Friday evening's performance and was mildly disappointed. It was my second visit to the show (MLW was on the first time). I felt that Dale seemed to be playing MLW playing Big Edie... which is, of course, sort of the function of a standbye. But she certainly was more than adequate-- it was just difficult for me to forget about MLW.

Someone earlier mentioned Act II's rickety set-- during the show a stagehand actually walked onstage to move one of the set pieces to its proper location! It wasn't a big deal or very obvious, just funny.

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 1/15/07 at 12:04am

Thanks again for the insights.

I guess I'm just lucky. I've seen the show 5 times and the only thing that ever went "wrong" was when two audience members' cell phones went off. Everything ON stage was perfect!

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 1/15/07 at 12:19am

I'm not surprised she was out. She was coughing quite a bit when I saw the show this past weekend.

[BwayBaby18]

Posted: 1/15/07 at 1:30am

Penny I hate Erin. She brought nothing to the role except sloppiness. She just lacked any and all emotion. Not to mention her diction, which was horrid. She sounded like she was drunk from how much slurring she did. She also was going in and out of Joe's accent which was extremely annoying. I felt that her voice was merely ok. She kept checking her wig the entire show too and that really was obnoxious. I thought that maybe it was a character thing but if so it was failed to be executed in act 2.

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 1/15/07 at 3:52am

Okay. Just checking. Usually when there's an "upset," in a game, it means that the team who was supposed to win didn't. I thought you might be saying that the one cast member everyone is disappointed in provided an upset...you know, she showed everyone else up. An upset is usually executed by the "underdog," so I thought you might have felt Erin gave the most magificent performance of the evening and just blew everybody else out of the water.

But what you're really saying is what most think: Erin is the one weak link in the show.

Now I will be able to sleep tonight. Thank you.

[kyle.]

Posted: 1/15/07 at 5:04am

Erin was AMAZING when I saw her. I do not know why there are such negative comments about her. She was nothing short of great last week!

[bwaygal1]

Posted: 1/15/07 at 7:58am

Ditto-I thought she was very good every time I saw it.
I'll be back in town one month from tomorrow (counting the days!) and plan on seeing GG yet again.
Erin Davie plays the role as a fragile Edie, just what was needed, in my opinion. (Of course, I still see posts asking how come Little Edie's accent is proper in Act I and changes in Act II. I am guessing that as Little Edie aged, her New York accent became more prevalent.) Erin Davie gives the role what it needs, in my opinion.

I hope MLW is back soon. She is quite good, as is Ms. Ebersole, who gives the best performance I have ever seen!

[friedrichVT]

Posted: 1/15/07 at 8:07am

Erin Davie more than held her own on that stage. Fragile,wound tight, emotional. Her performance was excellent.

[Barihunk]

Posted: 1/15/07 at 8:26am

I saw Soules' performance at the 1/13 matinee and was somewhat disappointed, but having not seen MLW in the role I have no basis for comparison. I just thought her characterization was not very developed and her vocals a tad weak - but this is understandable for a standby who does not have the benefit of 8 perfs a week.

None of this really matters though when faced with the brilliance of Christine Ebersole's performance. It was the subtlety of the performace that got me. When a performance is as heralded as this one has been, in lesser hands, you can expect it at some point to deteriorate into camp or parody. Not here. There was not a false moment on that stage. And what a master class in the art of being still. That her three big numbers are delivered more or less stationary speaks volumes. Less is indeed more. The audience at the matinee on Saturday afforded her the biggest compliment I have seen and this is complete stone-cold silence in her big "will she or won't she moment" in Act II. Utterly devestating. Ms. Ebersole was also in fine voice - completely fresh, perfectly placed - astounding. One of the top 10 performances I've seen in 30 years of theatre going. I'm still haunted by it days later...

[nymommy]

Posted: 1/15/07 at 10:01am

Mary Louise is not sick. She is on vacation time. But I can't wait to see Dale. I'm glad to hear she is doing a terrific job. She is a wonderful actress.

[All_For_Laura]

Posted: 1/15/07 at 10:26am

When will MLW return?

[nymommy]

Posted: 1/15/07 at 10:30am

I'm not sure. Sorry, just know she is on vacation. But that should not stop people from seeing the show. The understudies are all fantastic talents. I've seen Maureen Moore and Abigail Frenczy perform and they were wonderful. Abigail stood in for Lee. She is so cute! and Maureen I've always admired her work. So solid!

[Parks]

Posted: 1/15/07 at 10:41am

I would also like to say that I loved Erin Davie. I personally thought she stole the show in Act I with Daddy's Girl. She was great!

[ragdoll4390]

Posted: 1/15/07 at 11:02am

I saw Dale on the 1/13 matinee also and I thought she did a great job!Seemed like she had a bit of a deeper voice then Mary.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 1/15/07 at 11:27am

I noticed Erin Davie touching her hair a lot. I thought her wig was falling off. But if it was a character choice, I'm gonna say it foreshadows her hair loss...maybe from pulling it out due to stress?

Davie also included a lot of the hip picking Ebersole does in Act II.

[All_For_Laura]

Posted: 1/15/07 at 11:30am

Davie does an amazing job characterizing Little Edie's little compulsions. That hair thing is key. Little Edie has no hair in act 2 and she mentions it, which is related to her hair pulling and stressing. Also the hip/stomach holding is perfect. Erin is really amazing. Love her. I want to go soon for my 4th time to see Dale!

[azeller]

Posted: 1/15/07 at 11:39am

I thought Dale did a really good job. I missed Wilson a little bit, but had I not originally seen Wilson, I probably would have thought Dale was the originator of the role.

The real Jerry was also there yesterday. I saw him at the stage door talking to Erin, Christine and Matt.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 1/15/07 at 12:02pm

I, too, am a big fan of Ms. Davie's in the role. And bravo to Ms. Moore and Ms. Soules for whenever they take the stage to cover these much applauded performances. I've heard nothing but great things about both from the audience.

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 1/15/07 at 2:24pm

IMO, ANYONE who plays LE in Act 1 is in an unenviable position. I mean, Ms. Ebersole just dominates Act 1 so completely. I think the most difficult part in the whole show is Little Edie in Act 1. So I give Ms. Davie a lot of credit! (My favorite thing she does is is pretending to a man when she says, "I'll sing the man's part" in "Peas in a Pod.")

I never noticed the hair touching. I will pay attention to that when I see the show next.

[nymommy]

Posted: 1/16/07 at 4:21pm

LOVE LOVE LOVE Erin Davie. And the hair thing is defintely a strees related character choice and she does it brillantly! Love the show and love you jrb_actor!

[Lavieboheme3090]

Posted: 1/16/07 at 4:27pm

One of the things that I loved about the show how so many of the manerisms of Little Edie carried over from the first act to the second, I loved both of them.

[Bubba2]

Posted: 1/16/07 at 6:18pm

I have seen Erin Davie 4 times now and each time has been stellar. The hair touching is a character choice. If they did not want her doing it, she would not be doing it. There are many cool things she does to foreshadow act II Little Edie. I love this show and Erin!