Squabbalogic Independent Musical Theatre’sGrey Gardensis the first musical based on a documentary.

Adapted from the eponymous cult film of 1975, this show explores the fascinating relationship between Big Edie and Little Edie – a mother and daughter living in the derelict New York manor named Grey Gardens. Properly known as Mrs. and Miss Edith Bouvier Beale, the pair became infamous because of the outrage aroused by their dilapidated property, which was fuelled by the fact they were the aunt and first cousin, respectively, of former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

Artistic director Jay James-Moody describes the documentary as the story of two outcasts from a wealthy family. “[Over the years] the financial support fell away and all their social connections fell away, and they sort of languished in this house as it crumbled around them,” he says. “They became very co-dependent on one another, they had a very interesting and eccentric relationship with each other, and they continued to live in the house with hundreds of cats and raccoons in the ceiling and no running water – they lived like that for about 30 years.”

Doug Wright’s stage adaptation of the film is “incredibly creative and clever”, says James-Moody. “The first act is set 30 years before the documentary, and it sort of captures an hour in the lives of BE and LE when they were right on the cusp of losing their status and financial security, and sort of starting them on a journey as to where they’ll end up, as depicted in the documentary. So we see them sort of at the height of their wealth, and really enjoying their lives in the beautiful Grey Gardens before it begins to crumble. In the second act, we jump 30 years; it’s pretty much a staged version of the documentary, but with songs.

“Both acts are very compelling, and for different reasons. If you’re a fan of the film, or you have seen the film, the way they have taken everything from the documentary and put it into a theatrical setting is incredibly clever, and it retains many of the iconic moments from that documentary, and musicalises a lot of them.”

Although the subject matter of Grey Gardens is joyful enough for the musical treatment, it’s sincere. “It’s not a spoof in any way; it treats those women and their story with a lot of sympathy and reverence,” says James-Moody. “It’s still very funny, because they’re funny women. Yes, they were eccentric, but they were funny – funny on purpose. They were entertaining. I think our play really captures the spirit of that, as well as the drama of two people who fell from grace in terms of losing their wealth and become isolated.”

The main focus of the musical, then, is the relationship between its two protagonists. “It’s so deep,” says the director. “They rely on each other and need each other so much. They were smart, warm, complex women.”

Not that the Edies didn’t bring a bit of showbiz to their original filmic portrayal. “They’re playing for the camera a little bit,” James-Moody says. “I think people sort of superficially might think they’re crazy ladies, but I think they’re smarter than people give them credit for. I think they were very, very aware of the documentary, and creating a bit of drama for it.”

As for Squabbalogic’s motivation behind taking the story on, James-Moody says the reasoning was simple. “We were always trying to find something that was really characters-driven. These are some of the most interesting characters that you’ll ever come across. And the fact that they’re based on real people as well, and that we have that little window into their history by being able to see those women through the documentary, and being able to explore a little bit of their world, it’s something that I really wanted to dig into and put a great cast around it and get a chance to explore a fascinating little slice of history.

“The characters are so intriguing and larger than life, [with] many layers to them. Being able to explore that with actors and ask the questions about what led to their lives ending up as they did is something that really drew me to it. And the music is really beautiful – it’s a really complex, emotive score.”

Crucial to portraying the Grey Gardens story was casting the right actors. “The way that the casting is structured is really interesting,” James-Moody explains. “We’ve got three women essentially sharing two roles throughout the play. Beth Daly plays both the mother and daughter at different ages – in the first half of the show, she plays Edith, the mother, and Caitlin Berry plays LE, and in the second half of the show, Beth plays LE 30 years older and Maggie Blinco plays BE.”

Daly faces a particular challenge in “playing these two iconic women, and having to get into the mindset of both of them,” James-Moody says. “She’s so fantastic, and the chemistry between her and the other women that she shares the stage with, and the rest of the cast, is really interesting.”

Grey GardensrunsWednesday November 18 – Saturday December 12 at Seymour Centre.

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