Wiretap: Staunch Women Singing

The album featuring a cracked out, singing socialite is finally here. No, not Paris Hilton (though apparently she released something resembling an album of music today); it's the off-Broadway cast recording of Grey Gardens, featuring the divine Christine Ebersole as Little Edie Beale, the staunch woman looking for a good Libra husband.

The show, which transfers to Broadway this fall, is described by producers thusly:
"Grey Gardens concerns both the deliciously eccentric aunt and cousin of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who were once among the brightest names in the pre-Camelot social register, but became East Hampton's most notorious recluses, living in a dilapidated 28-room mansion. Set in two eras — in 1941 when the estate was in its prime and in 1973 when it was reduced to squalor — the musical tells the alternatively hilarious and heartbreaking story of two indomitable individuals, Edith Bouvier Beale and her adult daughter 'Little' Edie."


While the musical is camp and fun at times, a wink to fans of the movie, the music itself can be touching, epecially when sung by the amazingly gifted Ebersole; just listen to "Another Winter in a Summer Town" if you need proof.

If only Paris and Nicky Hilton were this interesting and eccentric, perhaps we would be more inclided to give them due consideration. For now, we're more than content with the Beales of Grey Gardens.


The Beales Bloom: Grey Gardens Recording in Stores Aug. 22 [Playbill]




Grey Gardens ;Musicals ;Christine Ebersole