Albert Maysles Grey Gardens, Salesman, Gimme Shelter is at work on a new one-hour documentary film that will chronicle the journey of Grey Gardens from cult documentary to Broadway musical, exploring the original film, the just-opened musical adaptation and the continuing interest in their subjects, Edith Bouvier Beale and her adult daughter "Little" Edie. Grey Gardens is the first Broadway musical ever based on a documentary.
The new documentary will explore the making of the original film, the diverse initial reactions to it, the cult audience that built around it, the actual house then and now and the creation of the musical from rehearsals to opening night. Director Maysles is currently immersed in documenting the creation of the musical and conducting new interviews with the cast and creative team.
The original film Grey Gardens, directed by Albert Maysles and his brother David, told the story of two endearing, eccentric relatives of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and their everyday life as recluses in their decaying East Hampton mansion. The film premiered at the 1975 New York Film Festival and is now celebrating the 30th Anniversary of its initial theatrical release in 1976. The Maysles brothers recently released a companion movie The Beales of Grey Gardens featuring previously-unseen outtakes from the original documentary, now playing at art houses across the country and to be released on DVD on December 6, several books about the Beales are on tap including a collection of Edie's original writings and a Hollywood feature based on the documentary is currently in production starring Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore.
The musical Grey Gardens, starring Christine Ebersole and Mary Louise Wilson as the Beales, opened at Broadway's Walter Kerr Theatre on November 2 after a sold-out off-Broadway run at Playwrights Horizons in February 2006. It features a book by Doug Wright I Am My Own Wife, music by Scott Frankel whose passion for the documentary inspired him to option the rights from Maysles and assemble the team to adapt it and lyrics by Michael Korie. The musical is directed by Michael Greif and has musical staging by Jeff Calhoun.
