Playwright: Doug Wright; Music: Scott Frankel; Lyrics: Michael Korie
At: Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie, Skokie
Phone: 847-673-6300; $25-$59
Runs through: Dec. 28
The 2006 Broadway musical version of the cult 1975 documentary Grey Gardens is a dream come true for its fans. And if you want to see a living Chicago treasure, rush to see Hollis Resnik's dazzling dual performance in Northlight Theatre's snappy Chicago-area premiere.
But be forewarned: Grey Gardens might be one of the weirdest musicals you'll ever encounter—especially if you don't know the source material or if you lack an obsessive knowledge of the family tree of former First Lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis.
Grey Gardens is all about the co-dependent mother and daughter team of Edith Bouvier Beale. ( They share the same name, though the daughter goes by Little Edie. ) As the aunt and cousin of Jackie Kennedy, the Beales gained tabloid notoriety in the 1970s when they were discovered to be living in filthy squalor in their once grand mansion, Grey Gardens, in East Hampton, Long Island.
It's remarkable that playwright Doug Wright, composer Scott Frankel and lyricist Michael Korie all collaborated to create such an intelligent and coherent musical from this oddball ( and gay camp ) source.
Act I of the musical is pure conjecture. Set in 1941, it shows the Beales at their height as wealthy American aristocracy, through the foreshadowed cracks start to show. Little Edie is to be wed to the up-and-coming Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. ( John F. Kennedy's older brother ) , though mother Edith imperils the engagement party with her overindulgent recital program.
Act II takes place 32 years later, and is more of a character study as we see the reclusive Beales lost in a world of memory, music and regret. Famous quotes from the film become songs, ranging from the brilliant The Revolutionary Costume for Today ( to show off Little Edie's eccentric fashion sense and outlook on life ) to the downright strange. ( A throwaway comment like Jerry Likes My Corn becomes a self-reassuring number for Edith to reflect on the people who still care for her. )
Director BJ Jones has cast Grey Gardens marvelously, especially with Resnik's dynamic take on the aspirant songbird Edith in the 1940s and the resentfully dutiful daughter Little Edie in the 1970s. Resnik's over-exaggerated flourishes singing period pastiche songs in Act I is delicious, as his her comical timing and Long Island accent as Little Edie ( Jacqueline Firkins' period-perfect costumes are also wonderful ) .
Surrounding Resnik is a strong supporting cast, particularly Tempe Thomas' defiant take on Little Edie from the 1940s and Ann Whitney's reverie-hazed Edith from the 1970s.
It may be wildly eccentric, but Grey Gardens does its source material proud. The high standards in Northlight's production also make the musical of Grey Gardens a fascinating place to visit.
