Reviewed by Judy Richter
Reports that Jackie Bouvier
Kennedy Onassis' eccentric aunt and cousin were impoverished and living in
squalor with raccoons and dozens of cats in a decaying 28-room mansion, called
Grey Gardens, caused quite a stir in 1971-72. Their situation also resulted in
a documentary film, "Grey Gardens," created by David Maysles, Albert
Maysles, Ellen Hovde, Muffie Mayer and Susan Froemke. That film, in turn, spawned a 2006 musical of
the same name written by Doug Wright with music by Scott Frankel and lyrics by Michael Korie. Winner of three Tony Awards,
it's being presented by TheatreWorks in its first post-Broadway production. Kent Nicholson directs.
The
musical's creators took much of their second act from the film, but the first
act is a re-imagining of what transpired in July 1941 in the East Hampton
mansion on Long Island. In that act, 24-year-old Edie Beale (Elisa Van Duyne) is looking forward to a party
later that day to announce her engagement to Joseph Patrick Kennedy Jr. (Nicholas
Galbraith). One
of her biggest concerns is that her domineering mother, Edith Bouvier Beale (Beth
Glover), an
aspiring singer, will steal the spotlight by singing. Mother does worse than
that, however. She casually tells Joe some stories about Edie that send the
young man out the door. In the meantime, she gets word from her philandering
husband that he has gone to Mexico with his girlfriend to get a quickie
divorce.
This
first act, despite its apparent adherence to musical theater conventions, is
curiously flat, moving in fits and starts. Part of the problem may be the
diction, especially with the New York and Boston accents. Another may be that
the songs tend to sound alike. And still another may be the casting, especially
Galbraith, whose Joe lacks the charisma associated with his three younger
brothers, John, Robert and Ted. Glover's singing seems strained, something like
a church soprano, but the second act -- in which she plays the younger Edie --
shows her to be a much better than that, so she apparently was revealing the mother's
limited talent.
The
Act 1 cast is completed by Michael Winther as George Gould Strong, Edith's
homosexual, alcoholic accompanist and longtime friend; Paul Myrvold as her blustering father, J.V.
"Major" Bouvier; Anthony J. Haney as Brooks Sr., the family's
discreet butler; and two girls -- Kathryn Foley and Carolyn Di Loreto (alternating with Isabella
Wilcox) as
Edie's young cousins, Jackie and Lee Bouvier (whose married name was
Radziwell), respectively.
In
Act 2, as mentioned, Glover plays "Little" Edie, the daughter, while Dale
Soules, who
understudied the role on Broadway, plays the needy, manipulative, bedridden
mother, Edith. Galbraith becomes Jerry, a taciturn but kindly local teenager
who befriends the two; and Haney becomes Brooks Jr., the gardener. The other
performers play a variety of imagined roles in ensemble. Set in 1973, this act
is a little more interesting, especially because of Soules' performance. Still,
it's not particularly engaging. It doesn't go anywhere because mother and daughter
don't evolve. Instead they remain mired in their mutually dependent, love-hate
relationship that's more than a little neurotic. The music seems derivative of Stephen
Sondheim without
its brilliance. In addition to scenic designer J.B. Wilson, who recreates the mansion's
before and after so well, the artistic team includes costume designer Cathleen
Edwards,
lighting designer Pamila Gray and sound designer Cliff Caruthers. William Liberatore directs the nine-person
orchestra. The minimal choreography is by Alex Perez.
Even
though "Grey Gardens" earned plaudits on Broadway and even though it
has the Kennedy connection, it's definitely not to everyone's taste.
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