Grey Gardens - the 1966 Lincoln Center Cast
Grey Gardens - the 1966 Lincoln Center Cast
Gothampc
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/20/03
#1Grey Gardens - the 1966 Lincoln Center Cast
Posted: 5/4/07 at 1:39pm
Did anyone happen to see the 1966 Lincoln Center Cast of Grey Gardens? Was the 1975 documentary based on this musical? Who played Little Edie?
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#2re: Grey Gardens - the 1966 Lincoln Center Cast
Posted: 5/4/07 at 1:44pm
I saw this production. It featured Ethel Merman repeating her role of Little Edie that she first created on Broadway in 1946 (a performance the real Edie Beal saw and said was "absoltuely terrific - honestly."
Benay Venuta played Big Edie.
iluvtheatertrash
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/9/04
#2re: Grey Gardens - the 1966 Lincoln Center Cast
Posted: 5/4/07 at 1:46pmMade my day. :)
Gothampc
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/20/03
#3re: Grey Gardens - the 1966 Lincoln Center Cast
Posted: 5/4/07 at 1:49pm
"It featured Ethel Merman"
I'm assuming it was a two-musical deal between Merman & Lincoln Center. In order for her to do Grey Gardens, she had to agree to do the 1966 production of "Annie, Get Your Gun"?
#4re: Grey Gardens - the 1966 Lincoln Center Cast
Posted: 5/4/07 at 1:49pmLOL! That's not the first time I've seen a cast recording listed on eBay as the "1966 Lincoln Center" version. I've never noticed if it's all from the same seller though.
BrodyFosse123
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/27/06
#5re: Grey Gardens - the 1966 Lincoln Center Cast
Posted: 5/4/07 at 1:51pm
I remember there was alot of talk about Barbra Streisand being cast in this 1966 Lincoln Center production of GREY GARDENS. It was to be her next Broadway musical after she ended her run in the London production of FUNNY GIRL, but then she became pregnant with her son Jason.
Oh, the memories. She did sing 2 songs from this show in her COLOR ME BARBRA TV special.
#6re: Grey Gardens - the 1966 Lincoln Center Cast
Posted: 5/4/07 at 1:51pm
We often talk about what was the most exciting year for Broadway musicals, and there's no doubt 1966 was it.
This same ebay seller also offers the "1966 Lincoln Center Cast album" of Miss Saigon. Just think how powerful and topical that show must have been just as the Viet Nam war was intensifying. Beatrice Arthur's interpretation of Kim has never been equalled.
I've always wondered how B&S knew Saigon would fall exactly nine years after the show premiered?
Gothampc
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/20/03
#7re: Grey Gardens - the 1966 Lincoln Center Cast
Posted: 5/4/07 at 1:53pmI would have liked to have seen Elaine Stritch as Little Edie. I think she was free in 1966. You know she had to have auditioned for the role!!
Gothampc
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/20/03
#8re: Grey Gardens - the 1966 Lincoln Center Cast
Posted: 5/4/07 at 1:55pm
"1966 Lincoln Center Cast album" of Miss Saigon."
That was an expensive production. They had to use 15 union guys just to pull the ropes to fly the helicopter.
#9re: Grey Gardens - the 1966 Lincoln Center Cast
Posted: 5/4/07 at 1:56pm
Well, sort of goth, but it was actually the other way around. Merman was desperate to return to the role of Little Edie, which she always considered her greatest artistic triumph. Lincoln Center agreed to fund the revival if she also appeared as Annie Oakley - her greatest financial success but a role she hated.
The 1966 GREY GARDENS did add two songs for Miss Merman. "How Blue is that Ocean" and a duet with her mother called "I'm extremeley organized (stick me with) kid."
The revival famously cut the characters of Phelan Beale and Jackie Kennedy though, because Merman thought they were superflous.
Kennedy was played by a young Jerry Orbach and young Edie was played by Maureen Bailey, famous as Wendy in Mary Martin's 1960 color version of PETER PAN.
Gothampc
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/20/03
#10re: Grey Gardens - the 1966 Lincoln Center Cast
Posted: 5/4/07 at 2:01pmI was looking at the Tony Awards for that year and they really messed it up. Of course "Cabaret" swept many awards. "Annie..." was nominated for a few, but the voters completely stonewalled "Grey Gardens" giving no nominations at all. I guess the musical was too post-modern for the voters.
#11re: Grey Gardens - the 1966 Lincoln Center Cast
Posted: 5/4/07 at 2:01pm
There is a bug in one of the internet databases that lists many cast albums as 1966 Lincoln Center Cast. Very weird!
Well at least they don't call it a "soundtrack!"
Cast albums are NOT "soundtracks."
Live theatre does not use a "soundtrack." If it did, it wouldn't be live theatre!
I host a weekly one-hour radio program featuring cast album selections as well as songs by cabaret, jazz and theatre artists. The program, FRONT ROW CENTRE is heard Sundays 9 to 10 am and also Saturdays from 8 to 9 am (eastern times) on www.proudfm.com
#12re: Grey Gardens - the 1966 Lincoln Center Cast
Posted: 5/4/07 at 2:05pmIt was very ahead of its time, true. It actually was the cause of a famous fued between Ethel Merman and Mary Martin: upon being snubbed for a 1966 Tony Award, Merman said "well if that dyke Mary Martin had played the part you know she'd have won two Tonys - one for each act."
#13re: Grey Gardens - the 1966 Lincoln Center Cast
Posted: 5/4/07 at 2:10pmMichael Bennett is my hero! "...and a duet with her mother called "I'm extremeley organized (stick me with) kid." and "Merman said "well if that dyke Mary Martin had played the part you know she'd have won two Tonys - one for each act." cracks me up! Thanks for the laughs!!
#14re: Grey Gardens - the 1966 Lincoln Center Cast
Posted: 5/4/07 at 2:13pm
Miss Saigon was also completely shut out of the 1967 Tonys. It was just too controversial at the time.
Another problem was that since several dozen major Broadway musicals premiered at Lincoln center in 1966 (at least according to an internet database, and how could that be wrong?) each of these shows only had four days to run. The Tony voters just didn't get to see most of them.
#15re: Grey Gardens - the 1966 Lincoln Center Cast
Posted: 5/4/07 at 2:14pmisn't this the early version with "Where O Where is my Libra husband?" i always miss that ballad.
Gothampc
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/20/03
#16re: Grey Gardens - the 1966 Lincoln Center Cast
Posted: 5/4/07 at 2:17pm
"I remember there was alot of talk about Barbra Streisand being cast"
In doing some internet research, I see that Streisand was considering doing a movie version. However, the movie was shelved because they wanted Judy Garland to play the mother, but couldn't get her to agree to it.
#17re: Grey Gardens - the 1966 Lincoln Center Cast
Posted: 5/4/07 at 2:22pmWell, Garland sadly, by then was too sick to do the role. But when the studio then went to Roz Russell for Merm's role - Ethel lost it.
#18re: Grey Gardens - the 1966 Lincoln Center Cast
Posted: 5/4/07 at 2:25pmwell wouldn't you?! Roz can't sing "I'm extremeley organized (stick me with) kid" like Ehtel can. there's a certain bullhorn pitch that's needed for that delivery
Gothampc
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/20/03
#19re: Grey Gardens - the 1966 Lincoln Center Cast
Posted: 5/4/07 at 2:30pmYou can't blame the Merm though. In the other movies she did based on Broadway shows, they cut her music drastically. Can you blame her for wanting to hold onto every note she could? It really could have been her Oscar.
#20re: Grey Gardens - the 1966 Lincoln Center Cast
Posted: 5/4/07 at 2:37pm
Merman had apparently been promised the role by Busby Berkley (who wanted to team her with Garland and Shirley MacLaine as Young Edie) but when he fell off the wagon for the umpteenth time in his career all bets were off.
The studio briefly considered it as a vehicle for Vincent Minnelli starring Roz Russell, Hermione Gingold (as Big Edie) and a young Liza Minnelli as Little Edie. But alas it never happened.
Oh the 1968 GREY GARDENS movie that could have been.
Scott3
Chorus Member Joined: 7/30/05
#21re: Grey Gardens - the 1966 Lincoln Center Cast
Posted: 5/4/07 at 7:14pmUpdated On: 11/11/16 at 07:14 PM
#22re: Grey Gardens - the 1966 Lincoln Center Cast
Posted: 12/13/07 at 3:17pm
Bizarrely enough, Spring Awakening also seems to be hit by this bug on ebay. I had an extra copy of the CD and was selling it on half.com and just now noticed it as I got the sale notification.
Here's another for sale on ebay with the same thing (and no, that's not my ebay listing 
)
So question? Which should be more theatre-queen offensive? That the artist is wrong, or that it's called a soundtrack?
What gives?
Updated On: 12/13/07 at 03:17 PM
nomdeplume
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/20/05
#23re: Grey Gardens - the 1966 Lincoln Center Cast
Posted: 12/13/07 at 5:58pm
"Which should be more theatre-queen offensive? That the artist is wrong, or that it's called a soundtrack?"
Funny, Calvin!
#24re: Grey Gardens - the 1966 Lincoln Center Cast
Posted: 12/13/07 at 7:13pmI heard that Helen Lawson was the first choice for the role of Little Edie, but could never come to an agreement about salary and dressing room size.
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