Dan's Papers - May 30, 2008 - Grey Gardens Doors, Film, And Show Open

To date, Grey Gardens, the former East Hampton home of Big and Little Edie Beale, an eccentric mother-daughter team related to Jackie Kennedy Onassis, has inspired a documentary, a Broadway musical and a feature film starring Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore (to be released next year). This summer, the Hamptons will pay homage to the intriguing Grey Gardens phenomenon with a variety of events.

Kicking things off on June 7, Ben Bradlee, former executive editor of The Washington Post and current owner of Grey Gardens, will generously open the storied house to the public for a fundraiser benefiting the East Hampton Historical Society.

"We are very excited about having our event at Grey Gardens, since this is an example of what the houses of our old summer colony were like in the 1900s," said Richard Barons, Executive Director of the East Hampton Historical Society, which strives to preserve the town's historic appearance. "Our summer exhibit, which opens in late June, will be about this summer colony." Special guests will include Bob Stillman, an original cast member of the Broadway musical, and Jerry Torre, the "marble faun" who stayed with the Beales for more than two years as their chauffeur and handyman. "This promises to be a fun event, with good food, drinks and cabaret-style entertainment - and it is also a rare opportunity for people to see this well-known house first-hand," said Barons. (For tickets and more information, visit easthamptonhistoricalsociety.org.)

On June 14, the public will have an opportunity to watch Grey Gardens, Albert and David Maysles' original 1976 documentary, on the big screen at Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor. The Maysles Brothers spent six weeks filming at the dilapidated house, in which the Beales lived for decades. The 94-minute viewing begins at 10:50 a.m. and will be attended by Albert Maysles' daughters, Sara and Rebekah. Following this event, the audience is invited down the road to The Gallery for a mimosa brunch and an exhibit of paintings by Lois Wright of East Hampton, who lived at Grey Gardens from May 1975 to June 1976. A friend of the Beales, Wright was present during the filming of the Maysles' movie and was included in a scene.

Rebecca Cooper, owner of The Gallery, said she is "thrilled" to be able to show the first exhibit of about 25 of Lois Wright's Grey Gardens paintings. "I first saw one of her paintings in the Members Show at Guild Hall earlier this year," said Cooper. "It was a whimsical picture of Big Edie with two of her cats, Pinky One and Pinky Two. This painting sold, and I decided I'd like to exhibit the rest of them together in one show."

Wright, who worked for about 20 years as a palm reader at Gurney's Inn Resort in Montauk and just celebrated the 20th anniversary of The Lois Wright Show on LTV, has also written her first book, My Life at Grey Gardens: 13 Months and Beyond, which she will sign at the opening.

Most of Wright's brightly colored acrylic paintings, which Cooper describes as "fantasy realism," are portraits of Big and Little Edie that depict the mother-daughter love story, as well as the pair's many cats. Wright also painted the people who often inhabited Grey Gardens, including the ghost of a sea captain. "I'm delighted to be at The Gallery," said Wright. "The Beales loved my paintings and they were so encouraging. Big Edie liked my ocean scenes, and Little Edie liked the portrait I did of her boyfriend, Cap Krug." At the opening, Wright will join Cooper and the Maysles daughters as speakers.

And finally, Christine Ebersole, who played both Big and Little Edie in the hugely successful Broadway musical, will perform at Guild Hall's Season Opener to benefit the John Drew Theater on June 20, and again at the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center on August 9.