Grey Gardens- Should I see it?- Page 2

[Hank]

Posted: 11/30/06 at 9:53pm

Christine Ebersole's performance was special, as were the rest of the cast's, but still, the show itself is "not everyone's cup of tea". Myself included, but then again, I seem to be in the minority here.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 11/30/06 at 10:12pm

To miss GREY GARDENS would be to miss to greatest musical to open since THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA. It is absolutely fantastic. There should be absolutely no question. I hate nearly everything I see, and I left GREY GARDENS feeling inspired and shaken. It is a gift.

"Mother wanted me to come out in a kimono, so we had quite the fight..."

And Roxy, I disagree. You MUST see the documentary before hand to truly appreciate some of the moments in the show. IF I had not seen the documentary first, I probably wouldn't have loved it as much.

[cturtle]

Posted: 11/30/06 at 10:30pm

i liked the first act much more than the second. it was like a mini-musical in itself, very much of the period and quite cole porterish ... light and fun.

although wonderfully performed, the music and action in the second act didn't hold my attention as well. guess i should have seen the doc first. and the fact that i was exhausted, this being my seventh show in six days, may have had something to do with it!

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 11/30/06 at 10:54pm

Had you seen the documentary first before hand, you would have found Act Two fascinating.

[wickedfan]

Posted: 11/30/06 at 11:12pm

I didn't see the documentary beforehand when I saw it at Playwrights. Actually, I knew nothing about the show beforehand. I found Act two captivating. And it was even more so with the fixes for Broadway. Act One does not drag as much as eveyrone says it does. The music in Act One is great, the problem is that a lot of the jokes are inside jokes, so you'll hear chuckles from certain audience members while the rest give quizzical looks.

[gumbo2]

Posted: 11/30/06 at 11:19pm

I didn't (and still haven't but I'm working on it) see the documentary and I still loved the show. I'm glad I'm not the only one who really didn't think Act I dragged at all, and I enjoyed all the music, and yeah it did kind of seem cole porterish now that you mention it. Everyone was saying how the first act was troublesome but just wait for the 2nd act, which I don't understand because I loved the whole show. Okay I'm done rambling. I would recommend the show to almost anyone.

[bwayfan4ever2]

Posted: 11/30/06 at 11:51pm

Go! I found Act 1 engaging and Act 2 riveting.

[Katecab99]

Posted: 12/1/06 at 8:51am

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! I definitley referred to Mary Louise Wilson as Mary Louise PARKER!

Wow, sorry about that, people!

[best12bars]

Posted: 12/1/06 at 9:14am

See the documentary first, if you can.

Then see the show.

But SEE THE SHOW, regardless.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 12/1/06 at 9:17am

Everyone's pretty much said what I was going to say.
It's amazing.
See it.
Yeah.

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 12/1/06 at 9:27am

I memorized the doc, practically, never having seen it until TCM aired it a few weeks before I had tickets (a poster here alerted me to it...many thanks!)

I found alot of the funny things interpreted differently by those who saw the doc first and those who didnt. I didnt laugh aloud at some of what little Edie did in the second act, but was fascinated at how brilliantly Ebersole interpreted the role (NOT just a copy, she truly IS LE.) Wilson, likewise.

**VERY mild Spoiler Alert**

There is a moment involving the mirror that everyone who knows the film is funny, but if you havent seen the doc it is funnier seeing it for the first time.

One of the best parts for those who've seen the doc, is how the creators piece together the action. It is not in the exact order of the film and moments are woven together. I loved it.

The only problem with the first act, for me, was the fact that it is all supposition based on a few facts. With the second act being complete truth, I feel slightly bamboozled as to LEs motivations...in the first and second acts...it's a, this is how it couldve happened, but this is how it ended up. That was the only problem I had with the first act...and it ends with a heartbreaking song by Ebersole that almost rivals "Another Winter..." in the second act.

Adore the doc and the musical...PLEASE see it...even if you dont like it, you will appreciate it.

[JarNerdAV]

Posted: 12/1/06 at 10:39am

GO SEE IT NOW!!! (okay, you should pause to watch the documentary first---it's still running on TMC this month I think or it can be netflixed, but then) GO SEE IT NOW!!! You will be kicking yourself if it closes and you didn't take the opportunity. Can this many people be this passionate about something if there was nothing to it. And Act I is not as bad as everybody is making out. I actually really enjoyed the first act(much more than I enjoyed listening to it on the Off-Broadway recording--it's much, much tighter than it was on the recording). It's Christine and Mary-Louise's show to be sure, but Erin Davies is quite splendid as young Little Edie in Act I. I expect we will see more of her in the future. Even if you don't love the show as much as many of us, you will never forget what you saw.

[best12bars]

Posted: 12/1/06 at 11:03am

I think the biggest misconception is that Act I somehow answers all the questions you may have about the "human condition" seen in Act II.

It doesn't. There is a 30 year gap, and a LOT of stuff obviously went on during that time. And Grey Gardens allows the audiences' imaginations to run wild with speculation. (How often in theatre do we get that chance anymore?! Answer: Not bloody often enough.)

Act I is a thoroughly entertaining, fascinating set-up for Act II, mostly fictionalized, but as doodle says, based on a few known facts. It shows us an approximation of what the Beales' lives were like back in their heyday... and it sets up and juxtaposes many of the things we see and hear discussed in Act II (spring-boarding from, and honoring, the documentary footage).

But it doesn't answer all the questions for us, as to "why they are they way they are," and "why they made the choices they made," etc.

The best way I can think of to describe Grey Gardens, is that it examines the human condition in general (something we can all relate to), and the specific relationship of these two unusual women (something that few of us can relate to as literally as this), without solving the eternal mystery of either.

Updated On: 12/1/06 at 11:03 AM

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 12/1/06 at 11:08am

There is plenty of dialogue in the second act that addresses that "in-between" time period. Everything you need to know is spelled out if you pay attention.

[Musical Director]

Posted: 12/1/06 at 11:17am

I would give anything if I was close enough to New York to see this show. I am in love with the score, and Christine Ebersole. I worked with her in MAME at the Paper Mill Playhouse. The production was not great, but the experience with her was. She is everything a Broadway star should be. Brilliantly talented, a wonderful singer and colleague, and a joy to behold. I think all of that transcends on the CD. I would kill to see it!!!
Updated On: 12/1/06 at 11:17 AM

[best12bars]

Posted: 12/1/06 at 11:38am

Everything is there from the past 30 years? Really?

Don't think so. And I WAS paying attention.

Thanks for playing anyway, dear.

Updated On: 12/1/06 at 11:38 AM

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 12/1/06 at 11:41am

I didn't say everything from the past 30 years is there.

I said everything you need to know.

[SorryGrateful]

Posted: 12/1/06 at 11:52am

I definitely recommend this show. I wasn't completely blown away when I saw it on Tuesday, although I did really enjoy it at the time. However, now that it's been a few days, it's really sunk in with me and I find it very haunting and fascinating. I can't get "Around the World" out of my head and I'm not complaining.

Just go see it.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 12/1/06 at 11:54am

I want to get the CD, but I just kept thinking through the first act how much I'll miss Erin's voice on it.

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 12/1/06 at 11:55am

oh, twelvy and Rath, you're both pretty!

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 12/1/06 at 11:56am

You're right, doodle!

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 12/1/06 at 12:00pm

I prefer the accent that Sara uses, tho Erin does have a nicer voice.

Get the freakin' cd...and if they rerecord, get that one too, silly!

I didnt care as much for the new songs, btw.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 12/1/06 at 12:08pm

I didn't see Sara, but was mucho impressed with Erin's grasp of the accent.

She was more consistent with it than Ebersole, at least the night we attended.

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 12/1/06 at 12:23pm

I heard little Edie (second act) in Sara's accent, not so much in Erin's. Just the way Sara say's, "It's troooo."

Anyone wonder why they have a blond little Edie? In all the younger pics she appears a brunette.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 12/1/06 at 12:29pm

Don't know about the blonde thing.

I do wonder if Erin's accent has improved over time, because I remember reading complaints that it wasn't there as much as Ebersole's during previews. However, I found it astonishingly accurate when I went this past Tuesday.