I like the original "Grey Gardens" finale better...

I mean, of course Little Edie goes back. But, the old reprise of "Peas in a Pod" felt closer to the documentary. The new one ends so sadly, but I left the documentary feeling like, "OK, they drive each other insane, but they love each other and there's a chance that they may be happy."

Anyone have any thoughts?

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The new one is so f*cking chilling.

I thought the same too... But I think the (production team) want to end Grey Gardens with the "The Girl Who had Everything " with a more haunting tune.
with Mary Louise Wilson saying...'you choose" ( rather than singing " Peas in a Pod")
then the music plays and the lights fade out..

For me this means - the mother would do everything so her daughter will stay with her and vice versa Little Edie cannot really leave his mother.. Its an endless cycle. People stucked in an endless relationship & responsiblities that they cannot escape...... Its ironic why Big Eddie said.. "you choose "

But you know what.. I love Grey Gardens so much- that even if the Old Lady goes naked at the end- I would still like the show..

J*

Updated On: 6/29/07 at 09:57 PM

I think it would be such a drastic change in emotion if you were to go from such an emotional moment like "Another Winter..." to a reprise of "Peas in a Pod".

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True. But, again, that reminds me of how Little Edie is. Remember, she comes out of the attic where she just went through the roler coaster that is "Around the World" mocking "Will You?" The woman had a tendency to mood swing a bit.

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I liked the Off-Broadway one better.. Like in the first Act "Peas In a Pod".. the daughter tries to get the mother to sing with her... draging it out of her.. and then at the end.. the mother does it to her.. plus the line.. "..and I'll give you my independence.." sooo sad.. cause thats exactly what they both did.

I never saw the show Off-Broadway, but I do understand how that could work. Big Edie talks about having soup, she could have easily, in a moment of panic that Little Edie was leaving, asked her to sing with her... "Sing with your mother, please Edie? Sing with the old owman, like we used to."

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Okay, funny situation...

I saw GG in January and loved it. When I got back home I found the CD at my local library. I checked it out and burned a copy, but since it really wasn't clearly labeled I failed to realize it was the off-broadway recording.

I've been listening to it over and over again since then not realizing that that wasn't how it ended when I first saw it.

So it's hard for me to compare, but personally I find the reprise of Peas in a Pod to be very poetic and chilling in its own way.

#1 the lyrics to the girl who has everything just don't speak to me the same way Peas in a Pods lyrics do.

#2 even though Edie is resolving her situation and choosing to accept her mom, it still doesn't mean that she's going to be happy like that forever. I imagine them the next morning arguing/bickering about the same things.

#3 it's a good book-end. "Girl Who Has Everything" is a song that kind of comes and goes without really leaving much impact, whereas Peas in a Pod in Act 1 really makes you stop and contemplate what Edie's relationship really is with her mom. That's why hearing it again at the end of Act 2 is so poignant.

i love them both but i agree that the off-bway version is more in synch with the original film, while the bway version makes for a stronger dramatic structure.

hows that for diplomacy?

I like then off-broadway more then this one.

I like the original "Martin Guerre" better.

And the Broadway version of "Grey Gardens."

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I love the song "Peas in a Pod," because it can be taken on many levels.
That said, I prefer the Broadway ending. THe slap a happy ending doesn't work. They weren't happy at the end of either documentary. Yes, Edie says she hopes her mother doesn't die. But, she also goes on to talk about the unbearable winters there, too. (Another Winter...)
"The Girl Who Has Everything" harkens back to all Edie COULD have had, the opportunities lost. Really powerful stuff. More than "Two Peas in a Pod," which blurs the dysfunctional nature of their relationship. Edie was really inextricably tied to her mom and gave up all those opportunities to have everything.

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