ROBB & EDIE 1978/ ROBB & CHRISTINE EBERSOLE 2007

Philadelphia Musician Robb Brawn and his relationship with Grey Gardens has spanned three decades. Robb first met "Little Edie" Beale, first cousin of former First Lady Jackie Kennedy, at a club in Greenwich Village. "We immediately hit it off. Our first connection was cats. Cats have always been and continue to be a passion. Robb has worked extensively over the years in Philly, donating his time and music to animal causes, especially organizations that provide low cost spay/neuter programs. I went that night to see a campy cult film, but came away with Edie's phone number and the start of a very cool friendship" "We use to spend hours on the phone. I got to know her very well. As strange as Edie appeared, I found her to be more normal than most. She usually had an opinion on everything and everybody. Even her stories of woe were delivered with the wit of a seasoned stand up comic." After the phone calls came the long awaited invite to the infamous East Hampton mansion. "It was everything you thought it would be and much more. The first time out there, I got the royal tour. After that, Edie more or less just let me wander around, and I always did. When Edie found out that I was not only a cat lover, but also a musician, our bond grew even stronger. We even started playing with ideas on teaming up for a cabaret act (heaven help the both of us ! ) Many of my experiences with Edie are highlighted on this web site. Click on "The Real Edie" button to the right for more !

In 2006, I had heard that they were doing a musical adaptation of the Maysles brothers film. My initial reaction was "this is totally impossible !" How could that be done. At first, I had no intention to see it. Then the Tony Award nominations were announced and Grey Gardens got ten ! Christine Ebersole won the Tony for Best Leading Actress in a Musical, Mary Louise Wilson for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, and Ivy Long for Best Costume Design. When I finally decided to create this web site, I contacted Christine Ebersole with my ideas. Her assistant, Julia Jones contacted me, and arranged the meeting and photo shoot. "Christine was very helpful in helping me realize my vision for this home page by staying in "Edie" costume after a performance. She's a very gracious and sweet lady. Watching her on stage made me feel like I was seeing my old friend again. She captured the true essense of Little Edie, and brought far more to the character than she could have just picked up from the documentary, no matter how many times she'd watched it. She told me she felt she was actually channeling both the Edies. The picture above was taken backstage at the Walter Kerr Theater, just about 3 weeks before the musical's MUCH TOO EARLY closing. There are rumors about the show going to London and/or on tour. We will attempt to be the first with that information as soon as it is released. I was honored to have been granted an interview with Albert Maysles, who brought us this wonderful film over 30 years ago. His additional insight has helped me appreciate more than ever, these two unique women.

This site is dedicated to the two Edies, all the Grey Gardens fans, and especially to the Edie we all have inside of us. We hope your visit to My Grey Gardens will be a pleasant one. Please join our My Grey Gardens family and sign our guestbook and sign up for our mailing list.