"My entire life was music and song. With all that I didn't have, my life was still joyous..." Little Edie
I remember distinctly Dennis Hassan saying to me over a year ago. "Have you ever heard of the musical, Grey Gardens?... Well, you should take a look at it. I think you would be perfect for it." He wasn't making any promises, I had to audition and I know he had other people in mind. But, I took him up on the invitation and got the soundtrack and started researching. (pictured above with Trent Dahlin)
I had seen the documentary, I only knew the musical from the Tony performance, but I looked deeper into the material and it turned into one of those instances where I completely saw myself in the role and then the competition bug hit. I thought, "No one else is going to play this but me." Haha! I know most of my theater friends can relate. I started learning all of the songs and working on the dialects. Before I knew it I was at the audition, feeling determined. I was in love with these two women and knew the role fit my strengths. (pictured above with Anna Bodily)
Two women? Well, those that aren't familiar with the musical Grey Gardens, in Act I the leading lady plays Edith, the mother of Little Edie, and the play is set in 1941. Then Act II takes place 32 years later in 1973 where the leading lady now plays the daughter, Little Edie. After the audition, I tried to put it out of my mind, but I couldn't leave it behind. I marveled at the opportunity to dig into these characters and make them my own. (pictured above with Clarissa Boston)
When the call came I saw it was my dear friend, Richie Call (artistic director of the Lyric Repertory Company), and I thought, he is either calling to give me his condolences as a friend or to make an offer. To my sheer delight, it was the latter.
The songs composed for this musical are quite varied in style and genres. Vocally it is a demanding role that goes from a more legit sound to belting. From handling jazz to patter songs to soaring ballads. Daily, I would vocalize to keep my voice in tip-top shape. I came up with a warm-up that accomplished the placement I needed to achieve a healthy, balanced technique. I would do the warm up and then sing through all of the songs in the show. I wanted them to settle in and establish a muscle memory for each piece.
Going into rehearsals I felt pretty confident vocally. I still wanted to be open for anything stylistically that the musical director would give me. And there were still sections of the songs that I wasn't sure what to do with vocally and needed guidance on. Fortunately, I was in the hands of Jim Christian, our director, musical director, and choreographer. (triple threat) He helped me fine tune those areas that I needed help in and we collaborated on each song to fill in all the colors they needed to tell the story.
Then there was the responsibility of creating these characters, who were based on real-life women, and honoring their memory. I did not want to be their caricature, especially Little Edie. I wanted to build them like I did any character. Find their strengths, their weaknesses, their wants, needs, and desires. Their ticks, their walk, their laugh.
I studied the documentary and read everything I could get my hands on about them. This wasn't an impression. I brought much of myself to the core of these women and tried to breathe life into them with an honest, deferential approach. (pictured above with Karen Bruestle)
One of the things that took me by surprise happened during previews. I realized that the second act was as much about the audience as it was about the actors on stage. We talk to the audience continuously. Some nights I wasn't sure they quite got little Edie and I would adjust to make her more vulnerable, personable, and charming. Other nights they were right with me as soon as I walked out on stage and addressed them. I kept things honest and "between us". It was such a delight to play off the audience in that way, and have this rapport with them. As myself, it would have been terrifying, but as Little Edie, I was bold and confident.
Now, for those of you reading this who always ask the question, "How did you memorize all those lines?" Well, this show...SO many lines...It would take me well over an hour to run them all. An added obstacle was that most of the dialogue between mother and daughter, especially in the second act, overlap, and it is not always in response to what the other person is saying. It was like we had these disjointed monologues that were interrupted continually by the scene partner. (pictured above with Mitch Shira)
Karen Bruestle, who played Big Edie in Act II, and I would run lines outside of rehearsal and drill them so we could get the flow. It is not your typical script, but I feel like we accomplished the desired effect once the show opened and with the limited rehearsal time that we had I think it was nothing short of a miracle. (pictured above with Anna Bodily, Clarissa Boston, Trent Dahlin, Terence Goodman, Chris Mansa, and Mitch Shira)
Out of the two roles I played, I gravitated to Little Edie the most. I couldn't wait to inhabit her skin each night and by the time closing night came I felt like a part of me had gone with her. What an extraordinary person she was.
Both of these women had this independent spirit. They were staunch women, brought up in an environment of privilege and didn't have the skill set or intuition to help themselves in the conventional sense once the money ran out. But, even though the walls of Grey Gardens decayed around them, they still had music, dancing, and (for better or for worse) each other. (pictured above with Karen Bruestle)
My favorite song to perform each night was, "Another Winter in a Summer Town". My heart would break every time I sang it. I have never felt more raw on stage. It was quite liberating to let the walls fall down and be thoroughly vulnerable in front of an audience.
The cast and crew of this show were a dream to work with. This role is demanding and there is not much time spent off stage, but man, I felt the support coming from the booth, the wings, the pit, and with each scene partner. They were there for me and I strived to return that generosity. I love them for it. And I will never forget it.
The design team was on point. Theater is a collaborative art form. Just speaking of the costumes alone there is no way I could have pulled Little Edie off without them. They informed me as an actress and I am grateful to Andrea Davenport and her vision for this show. The set, projections, and props by Spencer Potter (set) and Robin Perry (props) were the perfect marriage that swept the audience away to a pristine beach cottage in Act I and a dilapidated, hoarders dream, raccoon/cat infested environment in Act II. I swear you could smell it from the audience.
This role is seriously one of the finest roles written for a woman in musical theater. I can't think of many others with the same variety and range. If ever offered the chance to do it again, I would in a heartbeat. Thank you to all of my friends and family who came and supported this show. It meant the world to me. And let's just sing it once again all together: "STAUNCH!"
PC: Andrew McAllister
Lighting Design: Cole Adams
Hair and Make-Up: Sara Elizabeth Shouse
Projection Design: Patrick Mathis
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