Grey Gardens to close on 29 Jul 2007

The new musical Grey Gardens is to play its final performance on Broadway on 29 Jul 2007, the show had been booking through to 9 Sep 2007.

The musical opened on Broadway, at the Walter Kerr Theatre, on 2 Nov 2006, following previews from 3 Oct 2006. When Grey Gardens closes it will have played 33 previews and 307 regular performances.

The news of the show's closure comes just 3 days after an earlier announcement that Mary Louise Wilson was leaving the musical on 29 Jul 2007. That earlier announcement said a replacement for Mary Louise Wilson would be announced soon, and that the musical would continue running through until the end of Christine Ebersole's contract, which was due to expire in the Fall, and possibly beyond.

Kelly Gonda, president of East of Doheny, the lead producer of the musical, made the following statement explaining the decision for the July closure: "We always knew that Grey Gardens faced an uphill challenge during the summer months, and so we made the difficult decision to end our run on July 29 with our incomparable original cast. Still basking from the glow of our Tony Award wins and the recent surge in attendance, the show is able to go out on top.�

Grey Gardens opened to positive reviews: "Christine Ebersole delivers a bona fide star turn that is awesome, amazing and astonishing - and that's just the A's." (New York Daily News); "A production that, for all its drollness, transcends the kitschiness that's prominent on Broadway's musical-comedy menu. Dig in and enjoy." (USA Today); "Boldly odd, original and beguiling." (Variety); "I can't say enough good things about veteran Mary Louise Wilson's performance as the aged and bed-ridden Big Edie in act two." (New York Theatre Guide).

In addition to critical acclaim, the production was nominated for 10 2007 Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical, and winning three: Christine Ebersole for Best Actress in a Musical, Mary Louise Wilson for Best Featured Actress in a Musical and William Ivey Long for Best Costumes.

Grey Gardens had its world premiere at Off-Broadway's Playwrights Horizons, where the show opened on 7 Mar and ran through to 30 Apr 2007.

As well as Christine Ebersole and Mary Louise Wilson, the cast also features: John McMartin, Matt Cavenaugh, Erin Davie, Kelsey Fowler, Sarah Hyland, Michael Potts, Bob Stillman.

The musical is directed by Michael Greif and choreographed by Jeff Calhoun.

Based on the legendary 1975 film Grey Gardens, the musical features a book by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner Doug Wright, music by Scott Frankel and lyrics by Michael Korie.

Set design by Allen Moyer, costumes by William Ivey, lighting by Peter Kaczorowski and sound by Brian Ronan.

Grey Gardens: Once among the brightest names in the pre-Camelot social register, the deliciously eccentric aunt and cousin of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis are now East Hampton�s most notorious recluses, living in a dilapidated 28-room mansion. Facing an uncertain future, Edith Bouvier Beale and her adult daughter, 'Little' Edie, are forced to revisit their storied past and come to terms with it � for better, and for worse.