Dan's Papers - June 13, 2008 - Christine Ebersole

In her 35 years of performing in numerous roles on stage, in films, on television and in cabaret, Christine Ebersole considers the Broadway musical Grey Gardens the highlight of her career.

"I was privileged to be able to partake in this great work of art, and I was devoted to these two amazing mother and daughter characters," she said of Big Edie Bouvier Beale and Little Edie, both of whom she played. "I love playing parts that are well written, and a majority of parts I've played are of strong women."

In a phone interview from her home in Maplewood, New Jersey, Ebersole said she was a "big fan" of the documentary Grey Gardens, made in 1975 by brothers Albert and David Maysles in East Hampton. She said she just "became" these two different women on stage, as she does with every role in her own unique way. In Act I she played Big Edie in the 1940s, and in Act II she played Little Edie in the 1970s. Of the two characters, she said she actually preferred playing Little Edie because of the character's emotional range.

The show was a hit. Ebersole said after one performance, Lee Radziwill, Jackie Kennedy Onassis' sister, came backstage to tell her she "really liked the show." Ebersole said she felt that part of her success was that she was able to relate to the "nonconformity and free-spirit nature" of the two characters. "I like to see myself that way," she said. "With acting, you just get inside of the play and go on the journey of being able to embody and embrace that character, and take the audience on that journey with you." It was this particular journey that won her a second Tony Award for Leading Actress in a Musical, following her first in 2001 for the Broadway hit, 42nd Street. In his review, Ben Brantley of The New York Times called it "Possibly the greatest performance I've ever seen in a musical!"

When asked how she felt winning her second Tony for Grey Gardens, she quipped, "It felt like I climbed Mount Everest, and put my flag on the summit. I felt so honored to be part of it."

The show opened on Broadway at the Walter Kerr Theatre on November 2, 2006 to rave reviews, and after 307 performances and 33 previews, closed after a final performance on July 29, 2007. Ebersole was supposed to go to London with the show, but plans changed, and for now it is on hold, while regional productions continue to spring up around the country. A movie, starring Jessica Lange as Big Edie and Drew Barrymore as Little Edie, is due out in the next year.

Ebersole finally got to see the real Grey Gardens estate for herself when she came to the East End to sing at owner Ben Bradlee's 80th birthday party in 2006.

"I love this house - I told his wife, Sally Quinn, that she was going to heaven for restoring it, and their things," said Ebersole. "This house is a living, breathing, vibrant space that pays homage to the Beales."

Ebersole also came out to the Hamptons in recent years to kick off the annual Artists and Writers Softball Game in East Hampton, with her rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." And she performed at Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor in 2004, in Tom Stoppard's play, Rough Crossing.

"I loved performing at this theatre, which has a great stage in a wonderful location on the water," she said.

This summer, she will once again be journeying to the Hamptons to sing at two venues. On June 20, at the John Drew Theatre in East Hampton, she will do a concert with Billy Stritch. They will perform songs from their new album, Sunday in New York. Then, on August 9, she will appear at the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center, where she will do another concert with James Naughton.

"I'm very excited to be coming back to the Hamptons," she said. "I love it there - it's one of my favorite places on earth. I'd like to be there more, but with my schedule, it's not easy," she mused.

While here on June 20, she said she hopes to get over to The Gallery in Sag Harbor, to view the paintings of East Hampton artist Lois Wright, who lived at Grey Gardens for a year and painted her memories.

Ebersole grew up in Winnetka, Illinois, where she discovered her passion for acting and singing at the New Trier School. She attended MacMurray College in Jacksonville, Illinois, before moving to New York City to study acting at the famed American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

"I decided at age 20 that I wanted to become an actress," she said. "In high school I played the violin, and I was always able to sing." While in New York City, she was working as a waitress, like many hopeful actors, when she got her first break and made her debut on Broadway in Angel Street. She then went on to star in such Broadway hits as I Love My Wife with Joanna Gleason and James Naughton; On the Twentieth Century, with Kevin Kline and Imogene Coca; Oklahoma!; Camelot opposite Richard Burton; and Getting Away with Murder.

Ebersole then appeared in numerous movies, including the Academy Award-winning Amadeus, Tootsie, Thief of Hearts, Bill Cosby's Ghost Dad, Dead Again, Folks!, with Tom Selleck and Don Ameche, and 'Til There Was You with Jeanne Tripplehorn and Dylan McDermott.

She also entered the world of television, cast as a member of the 1981-82 season of Saturday Night Live, with Eddie Murphy and Joe Piscopo. She received an Emmy Award nomination during her stint as Maxie McDermott in One Life to Live, and also starred in The Cavanaughs, Rachel Gunn, RN and Valerie.

In 1997, Ebersole made her first appearance in cabaret in 17 years, and had a successful run with standing-room-only performances at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel's Cinegrill. This led to the recording of her first solo CD, Christine Ebersole: Live at the Cinegrill.

After 14 years in Los Angeles, she returned to the East Coast in 1999 and has continued to work since, in concerts, cabaret and on Broadway, with performances in Mame, 42nd Street, Dinner at Eight and Steel Magnolias. With such a demanding career, Ebersole is grateful to her husband, Bill Moloney, who works in real estate, for his continued support.

"He has always been really supportive of my projects and my career," she said. They have a full house, with three adopted children, and numerous pets, including three dogs and three cats. In addition to acting, Ebersole's passions include human and animal rights. She is a member of Worldwide Orphans Foundation and The Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute.