SHould I see the Grey Gardens Documentary before the play?

It doesn't really matter, but I'd see the doc first. Get to know the real women who are about to take you on a wonderful emotional ride.

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While you can certainly understand the show without having seen the documentary, it would greatly improve your appreciation for it, and the actors' outstanding work. There's a certain exhuberance upon first seeing Little Edie come alive right before your eyes which a person who hasn't seen the documentary wouldn't experience.

You'll still enjoy it for what it is if you don't see the documentary. But it's SO much more enjoyable if you do.

Definitely. A lot of the jokes in the show are theatricalized versions of statements made in the documentary.

A lot of the song lyrics are from the documentary. Although the revolutionary costume scene happens early in the documentary (and the show) a lot of the lyrics in REVOLUTIONARY COSTUME FOR TODAY come from various moments throughout the documentary.

Plus, you'll learn what AROUND THE WORLD means!

If I remember correctly, "Around the World" is a piece of sheet music she has in her room, surrounded by her mementos from her former life.

I was a big nut for the documentary way before the musical surfaced, and I remember nearly pissing myself when I first saw that Drama Desk performance of "Revolutionary Costume." Ebersole's "Little Edie" is perfect.

You don't necessarily HAVE to watch the documentary first, but if you see it enough times before that show, you'll find yourself laughing just at how perfect the impersonations are.

Enjoy the show!

~Jacob.

Absolutely. Although the show stands well enough on its own, there's just an added level of enjoyment and appreciation if you've seen the documentary.

For me, Act One was made even more fascinating because I knew what became of these women and could pick up some of the nuances in Christine's and Erin's performances--they do leave little clues about what kind of life the Edies are setting themselves up for, aside from the obvious plot points that steer us toward Act Two.

Plus, some of the Act Two dialogue is so unbelievably hilarious/sad that I probably would have thought it was written for the stage show rather than lifted right from the documentary (as much of it is)--the real women lived and spoke so theatrically that it's sometimes hard to believe Christine and Mary are playing them perfectly accurately.

EDIT: To add to what Yankeefan posted as I was typing...I should note that I was also not as completely taken with the documentary as so many people are. I thought it was good, but not amazing...and certainly very bizarre. But it enhanced my enjoyment of the show greatly (for the reasons I said above) and it is something I want to watch again now after seeing such an outstanding interpretation of it on stage. So if you watch the documentary first and don't fall in love with it, don't worry--the musical is fantastic and you'll be glad you got some background in the Edies beforehand.

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Updated On: 2/2/07 at 09:36 PM

I would see both films before seeing the show. You can also read my interview with Chris Beale at:
PS I adore GG! Ebersole gives the performance of a lifetime. I am her biggest fan. I ADORE HER.
PS Her show at the Metropolitan Room with Billy Stritch was even better than GG. She even won a Nightlife Award for it.
THE WOMAN HAS CLASS.

Interview with Chris Beale

Updated On: 2/3/07 at 10:05 PM

DP-
Say no to drugs. I never liked "IN MY LIFE"

Thank you!

I tried watching the documentary when it was on TV a few months ago, but I couldn't pay attention. I lost interested after about 45 minutes. I missed the first 3 or 4 minutes...I was just lost.

I love the musical though--and having watched the 45 minutes or so that I did, I did catch on to a few of the jokes .

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Yes watch it before.

Yes, definitely watch them.

They are brilliant.

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