Philadelphia Weekly

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If you’re a fan of Albert and David Maysles’ extraordinary documentary film Grey Gardens , you’ll be intrigued— though not entirely satisfied—by the celebrated musical version currently playing at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre in a production from the Philadelphia Theatre Company.


For those unfamiliar with the documentary, “Grey Gardens” is the name of the home occupied by Edith Bouvier Beale and her daughter Edie. The aunt and cousin, respectively, of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, the Beales were once the toast of East Hampton, a beach community and ritzy summer playground for the rich and famous.


When we first encounter the Beales in Act I, life is grand. It’s 1941 and Edith (Hollis Resnik) is throwing a party to announce Edie’s (Kim Carson) engagement to Joseph Kennedy. Unfortunately, their bohemian ways don’t sit well with the conservative Kennedy. The engagement is called off, and Edie (believing—perhaps correctly—that her mother sabotaged the engagement) angrily departs for NYC.


In Act II, it’s 32 years later. Edie (now played by Resnik in an admirable dual performance) has returned home to her elderly mother (the disappointing Joy Franz). The house is in ruins and the women live there in virtual isolation, their only companions the stray cats that have transformed the vast estate into “a 28-room litter box.” 


Featuring Michael Korie’s clever lyrics, the show is marred by Scott Frankel’s ordinary music. Most of the songs are not memorable. Only the catchy “Around the World” and the haunting “Another Winter in a Summer Town” are musically satisfying.


The show is further hampered by the overabundance of shallow supporting characters. Edith’s piano-playing companion Gould (Todd Almond) is little more than device used to illustrate her desperate need for companionship, while the young handyman Jerry (Cole Burden) serves to illustrate Edith’s pathetic attempt to maintain her youth. 


The only character that rivals the Beales in interest is the house itself, which emerges as a symbol of America’s decline. Bright and filled with possibilities in 1941, by 1973 the once-proud mansion is a shell of its former self, a victim of neglect, broken promises and shattered dreams. 


Doug Wright’s book barely suggests the tragic nature of the women’s lives, but is successful in communicating their resiliency and irrepressible spirit. Narcissistic and codependent, the Beales are a model of dysfunction. Yet there’s something oddly moving about their relationship.


Grey Gardens is certainly flawed, but there’s no denying its ambition. Blurring the lines between love and hate, past and present, director Lisa Peterson’s polished production shows us a mother and daughter attempting to balance familial responsibility with a desire for personal autonomy. Like so many parent-child relationships, neither gets what they want, but perhaps in each other they find what they need. ■

Grey Gardens 


Through June 28. $51-$70. Suzanne Roberts Theatre, Broad and Lombard sts. 215.985.0420. philadelphia
theatrecompany.org

The Here and Vow


1812 Productions concludes its season with the agreeable new cabaret comedy Let’s Pretend We’re Married.


Created by and starring 1812 Artistic Director Jennifer Childs and longtime 1812 contributor Tony Braithwaite, Pretend is an amusing look at the institution of marriage. 


As they did in 1812’s series of holiday shows exploring the history of comedy, Braithwaite and Childs again display their affection for the legendary comics of yesteryear. Featuring both newly scripted and existing material, the pair impersonates such legends as Henny Youngman, Phyllis Diller and Burns & Allen. Braithwaite and Childs’ impersonations are simply adequate (with the exception of Childs’ Gracie Allen, which is dead-on) but the best moments in Pretend are original. An audience-participation version of The Newlywed Game is surprisingly funny, and Childs and Braithwaite’s routine as absurdly pretentious lounge singers is a riot. 


Pretend ’s only significant fault is its tameness. Only the briefest mention is made of gay marriage, which robs the show of a wealth of potential comic material. However, Childs and Braithwaite’s stage chemistry is irresistible, and what Pretend lacks in daring, it more than compensates for in wit and charm. (J.C.R.) >> Through June 14. $27. Prince Music Theater, 1412 Chestnut St. 215.592.9560. 1812productions.org