Stagecrafters Presents 'Grey Gardens'

never fails to put on a dazzling performance, and lives up to that reputation. It is a heartfelt and moving story that will draw you in from the moment the characters take the stage. The production runs through May14.

Grey Gardens is performed in two acts: Act 1 is set in the 1940s, and Act 2 is set 30 years later in the 1970s. The first act is vibrant and sparkling with the luster of wealth and youth.

“The music of Act 1 is pastiche of the early 1940s, reminiscent of Cole Porter, that also reflects the glamour of the mansion and the people inhabiting it," said director Jay Kaplan. "And yet, underneath this upbeat, often lively music and beautiful trappings, we begin to see many cracks within the Beale family foundation, which provides a preview for Act 2."

The second act takes us into the downward spiral of Edith Bouvier Beale and her daughter Edie Beale. Everything has become gray and disheveled and lost. The 28-room mansion known as Grey Gardens has become dull, dirty and filled with cats — and there's a racoon scratching around in the attic and putting holes in the walls.

The musical is based on the original documentary about Jackie Kennedy Onassis' once-wealthy relatives who ended living in an impoverished state of being, mentally and materially. It is a moving glimpse into the lives of these two women and how they deal with the adversity of being shunned by society and their strange commitment to and love for each other.

"I was impressed by the individuality of these women, how despite the many great hurts, disappointments and losses they had experienced in their lives, in some sense they had retained and sustained their independence from society's conformity," Kaplan said.

The show stars Erika Fell (young Edie Beale), Beth Lackey (Edith Bouvier Beale/older Edie Beale), Maureen McGinnis Cook (older Edith Bouvier Beale), Emily Lourim (Lee Bouvier), Edmond Reynolds (J.V. "Major" Bouvier/Norman Vincent Peale), Dez Walker (Brooks Sr. and Jr.), Brian Welch (George Gould Strong), Nina White (Jacqueline Kennedy) and Nathaniel Paul Schick (Joseph Patrick Kennedy Jr./Jerry).

For an intimate evening and a glimpse into the Beales' lives, the actors on the Second Stage at the Baldwin bring the story to life right before your eyes. Don't miss the chance to witness such a moving and telling perfomance.