Atlanta Premier Opens 22nd Season for Actor's Express
By Sr. Correspondent, D. Kevin McNeir
Photography by Chris Ozment
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| Jill Hames, Michael Monroe and Wade Benson. |
| Grey Gardens, the hit Broadway musical based on the documentary that focuses on the lives of Jacqueline Kennedy-Onassis' eccentric aunt Edith Bouvier Beale and her daughter "Little Edie," is a campy, upbeat show that reveals the sometimes hilarious and other times heartbreaking relationship between a self-centered mother and her equally troubled daughter. In fact, as the musical illustrates, these two women take "co-dependent" to a whole new level. |
| Filled with delightful musical with songs like Marry Well, Will You? and Around the World, the show illustrates the vocal versatility of Hames - an Atlanta mainstay who has appeared on nearly every stage in the city. She is joined by Kathleen McManus who plays the role of Big Edie and at times you almost feel like you're in a popular gay piano bar wondering if you have enough to tip the entertainment. Together they are a hoot with a wonderful stage chemistry that makes this show a real treat. |
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 Jill Hames
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The Beales' story is one that has captured the hearts of fans for over 30 years and in this musical version, most of the dialogue is shared through song. What is life like for the rich and famous where families like Kennedy, Vanderbilt and Rockefeller frolic about at their luxurious summer homes in the Hamptons, hosting black tie soirees and evening dinner parties? That's what this play is all about as well as the eccentricities and shattered dreams that befall one of America's most celebrated legacies.
One wonders if Big Edie was really as strange as she is portrayed in Grey Gardens, where her dominating personality and big voice demands our attention overshadowing her unfortunate daughter who is destined to live her life reminiscing over failed relationships, broken engagements and a plethora of missed opportunities for independence and happiness.
As the second half opens, we see how "being invisible" and living a life in the shadow of her eccentric mother has effected the once-beautiful Little Edie. In costumes that are more appropriate for a circus buffoon, she marches across the stage berating her mother while the former showcase mansion continues to crumble around them. Perhaps the demise of the home is a metaphor for their own lives - now tragic replicas of a once proud and mighty family. |
 Michael Monroe
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One of the more fascinating scenes is a kind of slow motion shot where the many cats that have taken refuge in the Grey Gardens mansion meander through the home and are portrayed by the cast, searching for food and showing us the dilapidated residence from a cat's eye view.
If you need a good laugh, this is the show for you. Where else can you experience a talented twosome like Hames and McManus offer hyperboles about being fat, being political misfits while lamenting over the tragedy of living in one's summer home in the winter?
Artistic Director Freddie Ashley has made a wise choice in starting the season with this entertaining musical - don't miss it.
Grey Gardens runs through October 10th. For more information go to www.actors-express.com
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