Search - Scott Frankel, Lawrence Yurman, Grey Gardens Pit Orchestra :: Grey Gardens - The Musical

Fascinating musical makes for one of the year's best cast re

Steven Valenti | Cleveland, OH | 08/22/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was debating between 4 and 5 stars for this recording of the new musical "Grey Gardens," and finally settled on 5. Not because the score has completely blown me away (though it's consistently enjoyable and of pretty high quality, which will probably only grow on me even more), but because as an album-- a cast recording-- this is a really satisfying experience.



I tend to judge cast recordings not just on the music, but on the level of craftsmanship and performance-- the acting, the orchestra, the snippets of dialogue included to give us a sense of the story, the mood, cohesiveness, etc. In other words, I prefer to come away with a feeling other than "those were some good songs." Like many collectors, I don't get to see every show for which I buy the recording, so my general philosophy is "the more the better." Keeping that in mind, this recording of "Grey Gardens" was obviously put together with great care, and all the little details add up to a great cast recording.



Plus, what an intriguing basis for a musical! Based on a true story, and expanded from the documentary of the same name, this is the story of Edie and Edith Bouvier, the cousin and aunt of Jackie Kennedy, who lived out their lives in a dilapidated mansion (the "Grey Gardens" of the title), misspending their wealth and social status to live in seclusion with "52 stray cats." It's a stranger than fiction story that is by turns funny, tragic, and touching. It's unique, smartly constructed (I like the way the general normality of Act I teases us with hints of the mother-daughter dysfunction and outright strangeness of Act II), and at 78 minutes, the recording is very full in a way that seems to be lacking of late. (I'm still a bit miffed at the 50 minute "Bernarda Alba"-- such a good score, but why not give us more on the disc?!)



Much has already been made of the performance of Christine Ebersole as both the older Edith in Act I and Edie in Act II, and she's great here, taking full advantage of those funny, tragic, and touching elements I mentioned. She's already won an off-Broadway award or two or three, so when the show moves to Broadway (which I believe is still the plan), I'm sure she'll be the Best Actress 2007 Tony Award winner. There is also fine supporting work by a strong cast, especially Mary Louise Wilson who takes over as the older Edith in Act II (Future Featured Actress winner, perhaps?).



And just when I thought I was getting sick of old fashioned sounding pastiche ("The Drowsy Chaperone" is back on the shelf where it'll probably stay for a long time), this one comes across as fresh-- not because of the way the music by Scott Frankel sounds (though don't get me wrong-- it's good, if not quite as distinctive as I'd like), but also because the music is used to tell such a weird, fascinating story with admirable skill (the strong lyrics are by Michael Korie). It all adds up to one of the best cast recordings of the year.



Note: this review was for the off-Broadway recording, which has since been supplanted by this Broadway version. This new one contains smart cuts and revisions, and is definitive. 5 stars.

"

The best new musical of the year

Byron Kolln | the corner where Broadway meets Hollywood | 11/10/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"GREY GARDENS is fast becoming the "cast album dujour" title for 2006, and features Christine Ebersole in what may be the greatest performance of her career. Based on the cult favourite documentary "Grey Gardens" by the Maysles brothers; and featuring a score by Scott Frankel and Michael Korie. The book is provided by Doug Wright ("I Am My Own Wife").



The story of Edith "Big Edie" Bouvier Beale, and her daughter "Little Edie" is by now very well-known, thanks to the documentary. They became unfortunate figures of ridicule for some, but most were captivated by their bittersweet tale. The theme of bittersweet, and lives half-lived, permeates through the musical GREY GARDENS. Quite simply, it's the best new musical I've come across in a long, long time.



The show opens in 1941, with Big Edie (played by Christine Ebersole) hosting a party at her elegant East Hampton estate Grey Gardens, where her daughter Little Edie (Sara Gettelfinger) hopes to announce her impending engagement to Joe Kennedy Jr., (Matt Cavenaugh). When her dreams are dashed, Little Edie sadly - and somewhat unknowingly - resigns herself to a life of spinsterhood at Grey Gardens... Their demented relationship is sealed by Big Edie's "Will You?".



In Act Two, the elegant mansion is transformed into a delapidated wreck circa 1973. Big Edie (now played by Mary Louise Wilson) is a bedridden, somewhat senile recluse, cared for by Little Edie (now played by Christine Ebersole) who has grown embittered by resentment and regret.



The overreaching theme of the piece is captured in "Around the World", in which Little Edie imagines finally walking away from her mother's shadow. Ebersole's 11 o'clock number "Another Winter in a Summer Town" is also heartbreaking. There are also funnier, lighter pieces like "The Revolutionary Costume for Today" and "Jerry Likes My Corn" for the two actresses to sink their teeth into.



It's about time that Christine Ebersole is finally receiving her due, following years of solid work on Broadway (most recently a Tony-winning performance as Dorothy Brock in the revival of "42nd Street"), but I doubt that Ebersole has ever had a musical that best captures all her colours than GREY GARDENS. It is indeed the role and the musical that Ebersole has been waiting for all her life. Ebersole and Mary Louise Wilson bookend each other beautifully in their dual-performance as Big Edie.



Sara Gettelfinger (who rose to fame replacing no-show Jenna Elfman in "Nine" and later won the coveted role of Jolene in "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels") plays Little Edie in Act One, and gives a delightful performance as the "Body Beautiful Beale" with tons of potential, later squandered in the name of duty. Matt Cavenaugh quietly plays down the role of Joe Jr., with John McMartin (as Edith's father "Major" Bouvier) also very fine.



This recording features the cast and music as heard during the show's Off-Broadway run at Playwrights Horizons. I heartily and wholly recommend GREY GARDENS, a musical that proudly wears it's wounded heart on it's sleeve.



[PS Classics/Image Entertainment 642]



POSTSCRIPT (11th June 2007): The PS Classics label has just released a new edition of the GREY GARDENS cast album to reflect the changes in cast and score since the musical transferred to Broadway. Erin Davie replaces Sara Gettelfinger as "Little Edie" in Act One; and Kelsey Fowler replaces Audrey Twitchell in the role of "Lee Bouvier".



New numbers added to the score are "The Girl Who Has Everything," "Goin' Places," "Marry Well", a new ending to replace "Peas in a Pod"; plus the unrecorded "Telegram". Most of the recorded performances from the original album session have been used here again, except for the songs that required Davie and Fowler, and those have been completely re-recorded.



The original Off-Broadway cast recording (which was the subject of my initial review above) has now been discontinued and replaced by this current recording. No doubt this will be a confusing subject for a few people, but I'm glad that such a rewarding musical like GREY GARDENS has already garnered two separate recordings."

Grey Gardens is Magnificent

E. Chris Caggiano | Boston, MA USA | 10/31/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Grey Gardens is a gorgeous, haunting show. The creators have worked feverishly to revamp the show for Broadway. The changes are quite extensive, as anyone familiar with the Playwrights Horizons version can attest. For example, the song list in the current version is considerably different from that on the CD, particularly in Act 1. The following songs are no longer in the show, at least when I saw it in October:



ACT 1

"Toyland"

"Body Beautiful Beale"

"Better Fall Out of Love"

"Being Bouvier"

"Mrs. Porter's Anthem"

"Tomorrow's Woman"



ACT 2

"Peas in a Pod" (reprise)



And the following songs have been added:



ACT 1

"The Girl Who Has Everything"

"Goin' Places"

"Marry Well"



All improvements, from where I sit. They've clarified the relationships and focused the dramatic tension by cutting out some extraneous numbers and recasting others in a more effective light. I doubt they'll release a new CD, but I do hope that they at least record the new numbers and release them on iTunes.



Act one is a very interesting and entertaining mix of old-fashioned musical comedy and modern-day drama. The story itself has a very modern feel, but the story-telling is like that of a Gershwin twenties show. It makes for a compelling and moving amalgam of sensibilities. There's something deliberately unsettled about the first act, as though it was designed to set you up for the emotional punch of the second act, which is exactly what it does: establish empathy for the characters to make the denouement all the more devastating.



The luminous Christine Ebersole is brilliant. She is intense, charming, and seemingly in control as Edith Bouvier Beale in Act 1, but later as Young Edie the seams have split, and we witness the ragged remains in Act 2. Mary Louise Wilson is equally effective in her second-act role as the older Edith. Overall, a pair of fascinating character studies, but also haunting and complex portraits of two unfinished lives.



The score is stunning, and reveals composer Scott Frankel and lyricist Michael Korie as a very promising team, indeed, perhaps our next Stephen Sondheims. Yes, it's really that good. Most of the stuff that remains from the Off-Broadway version is simply wonderful, particularly "Around the Word," "Will You?," "On the Five-Fifteen," "Mother Darling," "The Revolutionary Costume of Today," and what is quite possibly the most beautiful song written in the last 20 years, "Another Winter in a Summer Town."



See the show. Buy the CD."