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<\/p>\nIt was the print media that exposed the tale of two reclusive, idiosyncratic, upper-class women \u2013 a mother and daughter \u2013 in the early 1970s. That was when an article in the National Enquirer and a cover story in New York Magazine shone a light on the pair\u2019s living conditions. Home for them was a derelict mansion, known as Grey Gardens, situated in the wealthy neighbourhood of East Hampton in New York. I speak of Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale (known as Big Edie: 1895 \u20131977) and Edith Bouvier Beale (who went by the moniker Little Edie: 1917 \u2013 2002). Respectively, they were the aunt and first cousin of former US First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. With limited funds after Big Edie\u2019s husband left her, the pair lived together at the estate in increasing squalor and isolation, for decades.<\/p>\n
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A documentary about the pair, which let them tell their own stories, was released to critical acclaim in 1975. Fascination with Big Edie and Little Edie continued, resulting in a Broadway musical in 2006 and an HBO dramatised, biographical film in 2009. This Clovelly Fox production, directed by Tyran Parke, with musical direction by Lyndall Dawson and choreography by Freya List, resurrects the musical. Despite their abject living conditions, the Edies were known for their wit and charisma, and that shines through here with their often-pointed exhortations.<\/p>\n
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Grey Gardens is set in two time periods \u2013 the first, a speculative take on what their lives may have been like when they were younger. Act I takes place in 1941, when Little Edie is 24 and Big Edie is 47. The central premise is the imminent wedding of Little Edie and Joe Kennedy Jr. (in truth, they were never engaged). Little Edie is horrified to learn that Big Edie plans to steal her thunder by singing a nine-song repertoire (excluding any encore) at the wedding party. Little Edie wants to \u201cescape\u201d from Grey Gardens and forge a career of her own on the stage. Little Edie accuses her mother of shanghaiing every romantic relationship she has ever had.<\/p>\n
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In Act II, set in 1972, their love\/hate relationship continues, as Little Edie, by now 56, threatens to leave an increasingly needy Big Edie to fend for herself. Little Edie reminiscences about what could have been, while Big Edie forms a close bond with a young, itinerant handyman who has wandered into Grey Gardens.<\/p>\n
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Helen Dallimore dominates as a self-centred prima donna (Big Edie) in the \u201840s and a frustrated daughter in the \u201870s, with her most sparkling turn in the second Act. That is also when her outrageous clothing choices come to the fore. With a strong singing voice, Deidre Rubenstein is polished as the acerbic, often desperate Big Edie. In that role, she makes a brief appearance at the start of Act I and is prominent after interval.<\/p>\n
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With her shock of blonde hair, Meg Williams impresses with her vocal proclivity as Little Edie, notably in the first half of the production. David Hobson is triumphant in his no-nonsense persona as Big Edie\u2019s father Major Bouvier in Act I and as a radio preacher in Act II. Nick Simpson-Deeks leaves an indelible impression as Big Edie\u2019s flamboyant, hard drinking pianist and confidante. Luke Ward transitions well from the politically driven Joe Kennedy, out to protect the family reputation from scandal, to the slow talking handyman, Jerry. Evan Evans is solid as the dignified family butler Brooks Sr. in Act I and his grown son and gardener in Act II. Also in the cast are Adeline Hunter as Jackie Onassis while still a child, with alternates Jessica Georgeson and Eleanor Flynn as her younger sister, Lee Bouvier.<\/p>\n
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A suitably nostalgic vibe characterises the music in Grey Gardens, which is where pianist and musical director Lyndall Dawson excels. A small wooden lit doll\u2019s house takes centre stage at the start of the show. There is also an array of pictures on the back wall, notably a spotlit, black and white framed photo of Big Edie\u2019s philandering Wall Street husband, who we never meet. In Act II, a couple of single beds, side by side and an old-style gramophone are prominent. Claudia Mirabello is responsible for the set design. Costuming \u2013 from the elegant to the garish \u2013 by Louisa Fitzgerald plays an integral part in proceedings and she is right on the money. Also noteworthy is the lighting design by Sidney Younger and the sound design by Nicholas J. Reich.<\/p>\n
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While there are no beg pardons in the representations of the key players in Grey Gardens, the insufferable and the loving make compelling bedfellows Eternal hope and shattered dreams sit comfortably alongside each other. While I enjoyed what appeared on stage, I yearned to learn more about these two strong, strident women whose co-dependence became legendary. Well directed by Tyran Parke and skilfully choreographed by Freya List, Grey Gardens is on at fortyfivedownstairs until 2nd August, 2026.<\/p>\n
It was the print media that exposed the tale of two reclusive, idiosyncratic, upper-class women \u2013 a mother and daughter \u2013 in the early 1970s. That was when an article in the National Enquirer and a cover story in New York Magazine shone a light on the pair\u2019s living conditions. Home for them was a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":170903,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[804,801],"tags":[11643,412,11598],"class_list":["post-170896","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music","category-theatre","tag-clovelly-fox","tag-fortyfivedownstairs","tag-grey-gardens"],"yoast_head":"\n