Grey Gardens - Bway vs. Off-Bway Ending??

[PeteGonBway]

Posted: 10/29/12 at 2:43pm

Having only heard both cast recordings (Broadway & Off-Broadway) - the two recordings end quite differently. The Off-Broadway version ends with the more happy "Two Peas In A Pod" ending, while the Broadway version ends with the much darker, sad ending with the "Girl Who Has Everything (reprise)". I've read the published script, which has the Broadway ending -- How different was the scene/dialogue leading up to these endings? Why was it changed? Which did you prefer?

[best12bars]

Posted: 10/29/12 at 2:47pm

I actually thought the Off-Broadway ending was eerie and worked better. The upbeat song was set against the inevitable, self-imposed "jail" these two ladies were living in.

When I saw the Broadway production, I found that ending to be a bit of a dramatic letdown, by comparison. It still worked, though.

Updated On: 10/29/12 at 02:47 PM

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 10/29/12 at 2:53pm

That long sting underscoring the tail end of the Two Peas in a Pod reprise on the Off-Broadway cast album is so unsettling and surprising. That song is definitely a better ALBUM ending. Having only seen the Braodway version live, I thought that the quieter, more somber ending certainly worked on its own.

Updated On: 10/29/12 at 02:53 PM

[ljay889]

Posted: 10/29/12 at 2:58pm

I only saw the show on Broadway, and the last 15 minutes left me chilled and almost unable to move out of my seat. It was quite an experience.

[Leadingplayer]

Posted: 10/31/12 at 1:34am

agree^^^

The Bway ending was stunning... (but I didn't see the off-Bway one)

[binau]

Posted: 10/31/12 at 1:39am

I read the libretto a long time ago and might have forgotten, and I think it pre-dated AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY. But is there a similarity in the two endings?

Updated On: 10/31/12 at 01:39 AM

[ljay889]

Posted: 10/31/12 at 2:00pm

There's a slight similarity between the two endings. August ends with Violet abandoned by her entire family, left begging for them on all fours, but only the housekeeper is left to comfort her.

Grey Gardens ends with Little Edie packed and ready to leave Big Edie and the house. Big Edie cries out for her and Little Edie silently makes the decision to return to the house and her mother.