Grey Gardens Joins Philadelphia Theatre Company's 2008-09 Season

By Kenneth Jones
07 Aug 2008

Philadelphia Theatre Company will grow Grey Gardens, the Tony Award-nominated musical about eccentric relatives of Jackie Onassis, in summer 2009.

The season, as previously announced, also features the world premiere of Tony Award winner Terrence McNally's Unusual Acts of Devotion.

PTC announced the Grey Gardens addition to its 2008-09 season on Aug. 7. Seen on and off Broadway, and preserved on two cast recordings on the PS Classics label, Grey Gardens has a book by Doug Wright, music by Scott Frankel and lyrics by Michael Korie.

"This hilarious yet heartbreaking musical is based on the widely-popular documentary film about the notoriously reclusive Little Edie Beale and her mother Edith Bouvier Beale, the deliciously eccentric aunt and cousin of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy," according to PTC. Grey Gardens will run May 22-June 28, 2009.

The musical joins the subscription line-up featuring the world premiere of Unusual Acts of Devotion by American playwright McNally; Resurrection, a new play by rising star and 2007 Obie Award winner Daniel Beaty; and a soon-to-be-announced Philadelphia premiere by Edward Albee, the distinguished playwright of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and The Zoo Story.

"We are delighted to be furthering our relationships with Terrence McNally and Edward Albee, two of the foremost playwrights of our generation, as well as forging relationships with rising stars Daniel Beaty and the creative team of Doug Wright, Scott Frankel and Michael Korie," stated Sara Garonzik, producing artistic director of Philadelphia Theatre Company. "With our mission of supporting and developing contemporary American work, we are committed to showcasing the talents of both new and established American playwrights."

Here's the PTC season at a glance:

  • Unusual Acts of Devotion (Oct. 22-Nov. 23) "spotlights the residents of a Greenwich Village walk-up, gathered together on a hot summer evening on the roof to celebrate Josie's return to town and the wedding anniversary of Leo and Nadine, only to inadvertently confront some of the uncomfortable truths that inform their lives and relationships." Described by McNally as a "love letter to New York — its energy and its people," the play looks at "things done — and not done — all in the name of love."

    This is Philadelphia Theatre Company's sixth collaboration with McNally, having produced the world premieres of his Tony Award-winning play Master Class and Some Men as well as the Philadelphia premieres of Love! Valour! Compassion!; Lips Together, Teeth Apart; and Frankie & Johnny in the Clair de Lune.

  • Resurrection (Jan. 23- Feb. 22, 2009) features "five African-American men ranging in age from 20 to 60." Their lives are "transformed by the extraordinary mind and spirit of a 10-year-old boy." This joyous new work by Obie Award-winning actor, singer, writer and composer Daniel Beaty examines what it means to be a black man in America today. Beaty recently won national praise for his complex and lyrical production of Emergence-SEE!

  • Play to be Announced, a Philly premiere by Edward Albee, March 20-April 19, 2009.

  • Emmy-winning writer/actor/comic Judy Gold brings the hilarious yet poignant solo show 25 Questions for a Jewish Mother to Philadelphia for five performances Dec. 18-21.

    PTC's home is at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre on the Avenue of the Arts. For more information, visit PhiladelphiaTheatreCompany.org.