Whoever’s idea it was to turn the groundbreakingly weird and wonderful 1970’s documentary Grey Gardens by Albert and David Mayseles and others into a musical is a genuis.

It works. The show is amazing and weird and strange. And it’s closing on Sunday. So if you are motivated: get thee to the Walter Kerr Theater to see it.

I saw it last night and am very happy that I did. Hepcat’s aunt and uncle were in town from California and they had tickets so I decided to join them.

Sometimes it takes visitors to force you to do something fun in New York.

Now I can’t wait to watch the documentary again. They were selling it with another video for $50. at the theater. I was very tempted.

Grey Gardens won three 2007 Tony Awards. It was recently announced that July 29 would mark the end of the show.

This statment by the lead producer of Grey Gardens, Kelly Gonda, president of East of Doheny, spells out the reasons their reasons fro closing:

“Grey Gardens is a great work of art that will have a long life beyond this Broadway run. Everyone in the Grey Gardens family is proud that we were able to bring this unique show to Broadway – the first-ever musical to be made from a documentary. We are honored and thrilled to have received rapturous reviews, ecstatic audiences and award recognition. We’re happy the show was preserved with a new cast album and filmed as the subject of a soon-to-be released documentary by the legendary original filmmaker, Albert Maysles himself.

“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.

“This production of Grey Gardens is a tribute to the Beales themselves, and we’re especially proud of having helped make their dream come true. At long last these two incredible, indomitable women have been celebrated as the performers they always wanted to be. And while we’re all sad to see this beautiful production close, we’ll look forward to keeping their dream alive with future productions and the new documentary. Finally, I must say that it was a real pleasure, both personally and professionally, to work with everyone involved with the Broadway production of Grey Gardens, including the creative team, the cast, the crew and everyone else responsible for the welcome we enjoyed at The Walter Kerr.”