SIUSLAW NEWS | SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2018 | 9A
Last Resort Players dazzle with elegant ‘Grey Gardens’
“Grey Gardens
Th e Musical”
Review by Burney Garelick
E
ven though it was named for dingy
dunes, stone walls and dense coast-
al fog, Grey Gardens was not the ooky
spooky residence of The Addams Fam-
ily. Grey Gardens was a 28-room man-
sion in the Hamptons on Long Island
in New York, the residence of the fab-
ulously rich Bouvier Beales and the site
of champagne parties with high society,
the who’s who of industry, finance and
politics in the 1920s, ‘30s and early ‘40s.
“Grey Gardens The Musical” is a big
show and a rollicking ride scaled to
concert size by the Last Resort Players
(LRP) for the intimacy of three rooms
on the flat floor at the Florence Events
Center. Still, it’s an expansive seating
arrangement and a roomy stage with an
excellent orchestra seated on a slight ris-
er behind the actors. Props and sets are
minimal but essential, and the actors are
costumed, off script, on cue and in key.
The show is bright, funny and achingly
sad.
LRP, Florence’s longtime troupe,
does magnificent theater here, captur-
ing with humor and compassion the
tragicomic lives of Edith Bouvier Beale
and her daughter Edie as Grey Gardens
slides from its glory days into wreck and
ruin, cohabited by cats and raccoons.
“Grey Gardens” was conceived for the
LRP by extraordinary stage crafter Leah
Goodwin. Rehearsals were underway
when, in July, Leah was called to the
heavenly stage. After intense grieving,
LRP decided the show must go on as a
tribute. Jason Wood, exceptional master
of stagecraft, was asked to direct, to put
flesh and bone and blood and voice to
Leah’s dream.
The rest is history.
There’s no business like show busi-
ness, and both Edith and Edie pursue a
life on stage. Edith is a perennial singer
with a penchant for opera arias, much
to the chagrin of her obnoxious father.
Edie is a cabaret singer and dancer who
longs to play Broadway and Hollywood.
Both affirm their independence, even
though Edith requires male compan-
ions before and after her divorce, and
Edie has a number of liaisons after her
engagement is thwarted. Mother and
daughter maintain a fractious relation-
ship but remain together, back to back,
side by side.
Compelling as it is, “Grey Gardens” is
a true story. The lively dialogue and wit-
ty lyrics are filled with cultural allusions
of the era. To enhance your experience
with the show, visit Wikipedia and learn
things. “Grey Gardens” will grow on
you.
LRP actors and their supporting crew
are outstanding, one and all.
Crystal Farnsworth is brilliant in two
roles — as Edith in Act One and as Edie
in Act Two. Costumes, makeup and hair
styling make for a remarkable trans-
formation. Psychologically, however,
it makes sense: children often become
their parents! Farnsworth sings with
gusto and clarity from “The Girl Who
Has Everything” to “The Revolutionary
Costume For Today.”
Joanie Schmidt as “Little” Edie in Act
One sings with the voice of an angel in
perfect harmony with the others. Her
solo, “The Telegram,” is heartbreaking.
Schmidt is a delight as the blushing
bride-to-be.
The groom-to-be is Joseph Kennedy,
played with Kennedy aplomb by Bruce
Morganti, tall and handsome, ramrod
straight, a president in the making, and
a little priggish. Morganti and Schmidt
exchange some sweet duets, “Goin’ Plac-
es” and “Daddy’s Girl.” Morganti returns
in Act Two for a hallelujah moment as
Norman Vincent Peale, preacher, au-
thor of “The Power of Positive Think-
ing,” friend of Richard Nixon, and a sort
of mentor to Donald Trump.
Venerable LRP trouper Ken Janows-
ki returns to the stage as Brooks Sr.,
the butler. Janowski does it all right; he
knows how to play it straight to get a
laugh, and he blends his fine voice with
the others.
Edith’s companion in Act One is
blasé, bored, inebriated pianist George
Gould Strong, played by extremely ver-
satile actor Mattieu Korso, who inhabits
his characters like a well-tailored suit
and sings with panache. Gould knows
when it’s time to “Drift Away” from
Grey Gardens.
James Wellington is an accomplished
character actor. His outrageous Mod-
ern Major General in the LRP’s “Pirates
of Penzance” is hard to beat, but his
turn as another major named Bouvier
comes close. The irascible old codger
favors his golf game, can’t stand his
daughter Edith’s singing, and adores
his granddaughters, Edie and her cous-
ins Jackie and Lee Bouvier. The major
advises the girls to “Marry Well,” a de-
lightful ditty where Wellington is rem-
iniscent of Polonius advising Ophelia
and Laertes.
Sisters Jackie and Lee are played with
poise and perfection by Chloe Aaron
and Hailey Hilsdorf, age 12 and 10, re-
spectively.
Apart from a brief moment in the
Prologue, Sue Sweatt doesn’t appear
until Act Two as aging Edith gone from
Seventh St. at 6:30 p.m. each
Monday.
This week’s topic will be reli-
gion and politics.
Bahá’ís believe that religion
and politics don’t mix well,
with teachings clearly delin-
eating religion and politics as
two separate spheres of human
activity: “Religion is concerned
with things of the spirit, politics
with things of the world. Reli-
gion has to work with the world
of thought, whilst the field of
politics lies with the world of
external conditions.”
People should come prepared
to discuss.
At the end of the gather-
ing, the group will read all the
prayer requests that have been
left in the Prayer Pole in the
garden of the Florence Play-
house, 208 Laurel St.
On Sunday, Nov. 4, from 10
to 11 a.m. at the Florence Uni-
tarian Universalist Fellowship
(FUUF), member Deborah
Larson will deliver the mes-
sage titled, “The Blessing of
Animals.”
Larson said, “We are cele-
brating the blessing of our ani-
mal companions today as part
of honoring and respect for
the interconnected web of life.
We are affirming that all be-
ings of the earth are important
to us and are holy. Our animal
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Each service concludes with
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“Grey Gardens” opened Thursday
and plays through Nov. 4 at the Flor-
ence Events Center, 715 Quince St. For
information, call 541-997-1994 or visit
www.eventcenter.org.
Unitarians to bless
the animals Sunday
Spirituali-Tea to talk politics, religion Monday night
Anyone interested in discuss-
ing diverse spiritual ideas in an
atmosphere of respect and in-
quisitiveness is invited to “Spir-
ituali-Tea,” a group that has
been meeting for years at 875
riches to rags, recalling her glory days,
feeding the cats, nagging Edie for pâté,
and pampering Jerry, a young sculptor
and reluctant companion. Sweatt, an
engaging character actor, played a sim-
ilar role as Grace in “Grace and Glorie”
a couple of years ago at Class Act The-
atre in Florence. Both characters were
determined to age in place even in the
face of overwhelming obstacles.
Michael Howry is a terrific Jerry,
relishing Edith’s corn and treating her
with dignity and respect. Karylynn
Keppol is cheerful as Brooks Jr., butler-
ing as errant staff and gardener.
“Grey Gardens” is not a story of re-
silience so much as it is about defiance
and endurance. Mother and daugh-
ter are involuntarily but inextricably
bound to each other and to Grey Gar-
dens until death do them part.
Postscript: In 1972 when the munic-
ipal authority declared Grey Gardens
unfit for habitation, Jackie Bouvier Ken-
nedy Onassis provided funds to clean it
up. Edith died there in 1977. Edie sold
the mansion and settled in Florida
where she died in 2002 at age 84.
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