(Related: 75+ Portland Weekend Events & Parties + Free Tickets | May 28-31 )
We are giving away a pair of tickets to this. Read bottom of post for more details.
Posted by Nathalie Weinstein
Cat ladies and crumbling mansions at PCS's Grey Gardens: The Musical
I often imagine that I am fated to die an eccentric old
woman in a faux-leopard print coat at a decaying mansion somewhere, overrun with cats.
That's why my curiosity was piqued when I heard that Portland Center Stage was putting on a musical production of Grey Gardens, based upon a 1973 documentary about Big and Little Edie Bouvier Beale, the aunt and cousin of the late Jackie Kennedy. Once socialites, the aunt and cousin of Mrs. Kennedy drew notoriety when the East Hampton Health Department tried to condemn their decaying 28-room beach house, where the two women had been living in filth and disrepair with over 160 cats…and raccoons to boot.
The fantastical story of these two women is sure to be made all the more odd with the addition of music, for which the musical was nominated for a Tony.
From Portland Center Stage:
Composer Scott Frankel approached playwright Doug Wright (Pulitzer Prize winning author of I Am My Own Wife) with the idea to turn the documentary into a musical (Edie, after all, was nothing if not a singer and a dancer). They expanded the outlines of the story to include flashbacks to the time when Big Edie was still the crème of the New York social register and Little Edie was called "body beautiful Beale." Act one takes place in 1943, during their heyday, and Act Two takes place in 1973, when the documentary was filmed.
Grey Gardens: The Musical will be directed by Artistic Director Chris Coleman and will feature a bevy of actresses with glittering Broadway credits: Dale Soules (Act II Big Edie) was in the original cast of Hair and understudied Big Edie on Broadway, Rebecca Eichenberger (Act I Big Edie, Act II Little Edie) played Carlotta in Phantom of the Opera, Mother in Ragtime and Nettie in Carousel, all on the Great White Way, and Janine DaVita (Act I Little Edie) just finished playing Rizzo in the 2007 Broadway revival of Grease. Not to be outdone by the ladies, our own Music Director Rick Lewis will play Big Edie's pianist/confidante George Gould Strong, Victor Morris (Brooks Heir Sr.) recently debuted at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, and Evan Thompson (Major Bouvier) had Broadway stints in Ivanov, City of Angels and 1776. Rounding out the cast are youngsters Madison Wray (Jackie Bouvier) last seen on PCS stages as Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol, Allisonn (not a typo) O'Neil (Lee Bouvier) and Ryan Jesse (Joe Kennedy/Jerry).
The show opens Friday, May 29th at the Gerding Theater at The Armory's main stage and runs through June 21st, 2009. Tickets range from $33.50 to $68.50. Visit http://tickets.pcs.org.
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Win Tickets to Grey Gardens: PDX Pipeline is giving away a pair of tickets to Grey Gardens. In order to win, comment below on the easiest/best way to find a good parking space near PCS. If you take trimet, tell us the line you take in. If you walk, what shoes do you wear?
I will draw the winner on Friday at 4PM. I will email the winner. If you haven't received an email by 5PM, go to PCS.org and buy tickets. :)
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My family saw this in New York and loved it! I am really hoping that we get a chance to go while it’s here in PDX.
I haven’t seen a play since a Christmas Carol. Help me out over here!
Streetcar, of course!
Bus line #20 FTW!
Though, it’s more of a pain now that they moved it off of the East side of burnside….
We take the #9 in from SE Powell & SE 26th Ave and then get off at then get off near Burnside on 6th (I’m not sure what the new stop is now that they’re back on the old route) and walk the rest of the way. Oh, I’ll be wearing my Keen’s for a night out at the theater!
Streetcar for me.
I live in Nob Hill, so of course the street car’s easiest. Takes me from one door to the other. Hmm, which shoes to walk the whole 20 feet, it depends on the outfit. Hey, I am female after all.
I would love to go! Fun!
#19, and my dark red clogs!
LOVE the movie and would LOVE to see the show!!!!! *Fingers crossed!*
oh whoops I am way too slow.
We’ll walk across the bridge from east burnside. The weather’s so nice out now… dark side of the moon converse hi-tops.
This sounds awesome!
@coreykaster
I’ve been to more than a dozen plays at PCS and have never had trouble finding a parking place. The bike rack across the street in front of Deschutes Brewery almost always has an open slot, in case the racks in front of the theater itself are full. And there’s a wonderful bike corral over at Powell’s, of course!
Oh, I forgot to mention that this is my wife’s FAVORITE movie so we would love to see the play. We hear it’s fantastic. Oh, and we could always grab the #20 bus up Burnside after getting off the #9 but it’s a nice walk.
I’m a student at PSU, so I park in one of their structures and walk to PCS. It’s kind of far away(ish), but that’s okay. It’s totally worth it.
I go to Ai, so the parking lot in the building is for me when I drive. I carpool in most days so the streetcar seems like a great option.
best parking is over on the north park blocks. go early to watch the bocce players. if you don’t find a space, circle 3 times and say the “Hail Asphalta” novena:
“Hail Asphalta / Full of Grace / Help me find / a parking space”
This works for PCS, but for some reason, it never seems to work for the Crystal Ballroom.
I’ve never had to park there so I wouldn’t know. But I am picking up pointers from everyone else!
I would park in the Whole Foods Parking Garage purchase $10.00 of items for the validated parking and enjoy the show! :-D Last time I went though I took a taxi home and a bus #77 there.
Shock! Horror! We’ve never been to PCS. I imagine we’ll go take the car and park anywhere, because we’ll make a day of it. Park, then spend the day exploring downtown by foot, seek out a fun place to eat, etc. We’re only 10 minutes away by car, but haven’t hung out down there in ages (in spite of having lived on St. Clair many years ago).
I’d walk, in my John Fluevog Pony Shoes.
Biking in over the Burnside bridge baby, parking at a friendly bike rack or sign post near you (that is, you, PCS)… ;)
i ride my bicycle, of course! i wear the kind of shoes that go on my feet. oh, the places you’ll go!
i take trimet (#6) and walk the rest of the way in my beautiful mustard robert cleregie’s bought in nyc 10 years past.
I take my favorite #20 straight over the Burnside Bridge and hop off at the Powell’s stop! Easy peasy!
I walk and wear my cutest theater-appropriate shoes.
(By the way, the phrase in the second sentence should be “my curiosity was piqued.”)
I never cease to find a convenient bike rack or pole to park my bike when I go to the Gerding.
Easiest way: have mom drive you.
Sounds like a lot of fun! I Drive to Sunset Transit…take max…and hoof it from there wearing my trusty sandals!
Bus #4 downtown then walk to the streetcar. I’ll be wearing some comfy KEENS since I’ll be walking a lot. Don’t own a car..love the pub/trans.
Love the theater…….and PDX Pipeline!!!
I walk out my door and hop the street car. Since the walking distance is not that far I would probably wear heels that matched my outfit…..I don’t usually wear flats because I like the boost in my height.
I walk/ride in MY ADIDAS (sambas).
Bike-ity-bike-bike! I ride in from PGE park, get onto 12th, and head on in from there…
Maybe stop at Cha-Cha-Cha for pre-show dinner?
Maybe swing into Powells and get lost for an hour (then I feel super cultured)?
Hi Julian-
I’ll be taking the #12 Bus from the Hollywood District, then walking the rest of the way in my Naot Matai shoes of Jade Leather with Fern Suede trim. Want to take my 14 year-old niece who’s visiting from Texas to see Grey Gardens, but spent too much on quality walking shoes @ Imelda & Louie’s sale…..so would love to win tickets!!!
Thanks!
i ride my bike because i’m faster than buses, and i lock it up to anything smaller than 2 ft around.
I walk in my new balance 450. Please please pick me!!
park near PSU – walk the park blocks and street car it down catching pre-show nibbles and drinks along the way….cute, but comfy strappy sandals seem most appropriate.
I take the Max Blue line.
I take the MAX downtown and then walk over! Much better than paying for parking. :)
I usually just hop the 15 and walk a bit if the weather is nice enough. Otherwise I use the power of The Secret to manifest parking spots across the street by the courthouse. It works everytime ;).
14 to downtown, then walk or catch the street car, then walk some more. :)
Bus, Max or Streetcar from anywhere to Downtown and walk the rest of the way. What you see… other people. A show before the show. Fun.
my hubs and i ride our bikes every where these days. we just moved to portland and we’re just now getting acquainted with the city. so we love to explore in any way, walking, biking, max-ing…
Aloha-
I will wade across the Pacific… I mean Willamette in my Chacos to ultimately find a parking spot for my ass in the Armory, preferably in front of the stage. Best parking spot ever. Of course I will remove my Hazmat suit first for y’alls safety.
Diamonds out!
There are always tons of spots on the North end of the pearl, over by Bridgeport brewery.
I usually take the MAX from Beaverton then walk over to the Armory from the Portland Library MAX stop; but when I do drive there always seems to be a place to park next to Blitz.
Streetcar, it always feels like being a kid at Disneyland again.
I walk, in chacos, of course! Sometimes I ride my unicorn too.
I walk, in my Born shoes. Occasionally I happen upon the moving sidewalk called the streetcar and hope on.
I walk and wear my summer Clark sandals.
Bus line #4, and then I walk my little feet up the hill!
The streetcar or Adidas Sambas!
The best way by far is to get a room at the Mark Spencer hotel. Leave your car there and walk to the theatre.
We usually drive in about an hour early and search for handicapped parking. Just in case I wear my dress up Danskos and plan to walk after dropping off my partner at the entrance. Whatever happens though, it’s always worth the trip.
Park in SW and hop on the street car.
Little Eddie is my idol! I wish she could see my revolutionary wardrobe. We would feed raccoons together. And take the #44 bus line together too.
The Max and walking!
I walk two blocks to the 20! So excited about this show!!
I will wear sneakers that are worthy of the costume of the day, mother darling!