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Rousuck's Review: Stillpointe Theatre's Musical "Grey Gardens"

Christine Demuth in the Stillpointe Theatre production of Grey Gardens
Photo by Rob Clatterbuck
Christine Demuth in the Stillpointe Theatre production of Grey Gardens

Christine Demuth in the Stillpointe Theatre production of Grey Gardens
Credit Photo by Rob Clatterbuck
Christine Demuth in the Stillpointe Theatre production of Grey Gardens

Midday theater critic J. Wynn Rousuck joins us today, as she does each Thursday, with a review of the ambitious new production of Grey Gardens at Stillpointe Theatre.

Inspired by Albert and David Maysles' unforgettable 1975 documentary of the same name, the musical Grey Gardens offers a glimpse  into the poignant lives of Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale ("Big Edie") and her daughter Edith Bouvier Beale ("Little Edie"), played and sung by Zoe Kanter and Christine Demuth, respectively. 

The two women -- an aunt and niece of former First Lady Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis -- famously transformed from edgy, upstart socialites into isolated, hoarding eccentrics by the late 1950s, spending their reclusive existence reliving their pasts and tending a colony of cats in their derelict mansion -- dubbed "Grey Gardens" -- in the posh Long Island beach community of East Hampton, New York.

The 2006 musical had a successful Broadway run, thanks in part to the solid book by Doug Wright and an intriguing score by Scott Frankel (music) and Michael Korie (lyrics). 

Daniella Robinette and Ryan Haase co-direct this new production to take full advantage of Stillpointe Theatre's recently expanded performance space.  Grey Gardens continues at Stillpointe Theatre through February 12. Ticket information here.

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J. WynnRousuckhas been reviewing theater for WYPR's Midday (and previously, Maryland Morning) since 2007. Prior to that, she was the theater critic of The Baltimore Sun, where she reviewed more than 3,000 plays over the course of 23 years. Her feature coverage for The Sun included a comprehensive series chronicling the development of the Tony Award-winning musical, “Hairspray.” Judy got her start at The Cleveland Press and at Cleveland’s fine arts radio station,WCLV. Her broadcasting experience also includes a year as an on-air theater critic for Maryland Public Television.A member of the Artistic Advisory Committee of Young Audiences of Maryland, Judy is also a freelance teacher for the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth and the Hippodrome Foundation, Inc. (the Hippodrome’s non-profit partner, which focuses on education and outreach). She was a faculty member at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s Critics Institute in Waterford, CT, for two decades; she is a former National Endowment for Humanities Journalism Fellow; and she was a visiting student at Brown University (2007-2008), under the mentorship of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, Paula Vogel. Judy and her husband, Alan Fink, share their home with two dogs, who enjoy hearing their “Master’s Voice” on WYPR.
Host, Midday (M-F 12:00-1:00)
Rob Sivak joins the WYPR Maryland Morning team as Senior Producer after a 36-year career at the congressionally funded global broadcaster, Voice of America, where he honed his skills as a news and feature reporter, producer, editor and program host.
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