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The end of summer is an exciting time for stage addicts because it usually marks the start of season for theater companies. Wasatch Theatre has built a name for itself staging plays and musicals that create a buzz of excitement beforehand because of the choice of show and then after opening because of the performances and presentation. The company is hoping to continue that tradition by kicking off its 14th season with the Utah premiere of the triple Tony Award-winning musical "Grey Gardens."

Director George Plautz describes the musical as perhaps one of the most unique theatrical hybrids; from tabloid story to documentary to stage musical. "It's definitely not your typical musical and it is very presentational in style; even more so than most musicals since in the second act the characters talk directly to the audience."

Based on the 1975 documentary of the same name, "Grey Gardens" tells the riches-to-rags story of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis' aunt and cousin. Once among the brightest names in the social register, Edith 'Big Edie' Ewing Bouvier Beale and her daughter Edith 'Little Edie' Bouvier Beale became East Hampton's most notorious recluses, living in a dilapidated 28-room mansion alongside dozens of cats and piles of rubbish. The musical is set in two eras; 1941 when the estate was at its full grandeur and in 1973 after it had been reduced to squalor.

The show, by Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "I Am My Own Wife," Doug Wright, lyricist Michael Korie and composer Scott Frankel, earned widespread critical acclaim during its Broadway run, which opened in 2006 and closed in 2007. "Grey Gardens" was also made into an HBO film, starring Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore, which aired in spring 2009.

Director of the Wasatch production Plautz started working with the company in 1999 when he directed "The Fantasticks," and since then has been directing, producing, writing, performing in productions and acting as the company's dramaturg. He co-wrote and directed "Hands Up," an original musical adaptation of a young adult novel about a serial-killer puppet for Wasatch's 2009 Page-to-Stage Festival.

Plautz says he was enthralled by "Grey Gardens" from the time he heard the cast recording. The company was at first leery because of the requirements for setting in the two acts are so different, but discussed ways to make the changes more suggestive than realistic. "We have found it so amazing that a work based on a very unique, bizarre family situation resonated so much with each of us" Plautz says. "There are such strong themes in the show about dreams deferred, the choices for women during the mid-20th century, the need for love and the fear of loneliness."

Cast members in the show range from age 8 to 68, with Edith Bouvier Beale played by Sallie Cooper and her adult daughter 'Little Edie' played by Jennifer Perry-Hughes. Perry-Hughes also plays 'Big Edie' to Ali Goldsmith's young 'Little Edie' in the first act.

Cooper has a lengthy résumé of directing and acting credits, including most recently directing "Greater Tuna" for Wasatch, performing in "A Tale of Two Cities" at Hale Center Theatre, and "Godspell" at Parable Productions this year.

Cooper began working with Wasatch in 2003, having just moved to Salt Lake City from Manhattan. "I decided to start following what my heart desired — acting," she says. "I was 43 and decided that although I had been involved in just about every aspect of the theater process, teaching, producing, and directing, and loved it all, I wanted to get back on the boards.

"I threw my hat into the ring for the role of 'Big Edie' and was both thrilled and terrified when I got the call from George saying I was being offered the role. She is one of those 'roles of a lifetime' for me, and now I was getting the opportunity to delve into the psyche of this eccentric, beautiful, selfish, clever woman.

"I immediately listened to the soundtrack over and over, as I feel it tells the story beautifully, as I researched the documentary I found that most of the song lyrics, and most of the script, is lifted from the actual lines from the documentary.

"As I have been studying the script and reading and re-reading the text, I have had a variety of emotions about the character; she is sometimes repulsive and pitiable to me, and then sometimes I think she is clever and calculating, but always I see her humanity in the love she has for her daughter."

Jennifer Perry-Hughes, taking on her first role for Wasatch, is originally from San Diego and lived in L.A. for eight years before moving to Utah in 2004. Perry-Hughes teaches theater and directs productions for Saint Joseph Catholic High School in Ogden and will finish her degree in acting/directing with a minor in French from Weber State University in 2013. She has worked with, among others, Utah Musical Theatre, Egyptian Theatre Company, Weber State University and Dark Horse Company Theatre as an actor.

"I was both thrilled and humbled at being cast" she says. "I knew I was embarking on one of the greatest acting challenges of my career. Thanks to YouTube I have been able to spend hours watching Edie, studying her movement, listening to her speech patterns, learning about her relationships. It's great to actually have the 'real' Edie to study for characterization, both physical and vocal, but at the same time it's daunting to play someone who really existed."

Also in her first role for Wasatch is Ali Goldsmith, playing young 'Little Edie' in the first act. Goldsmith has taken theater courses at the University of Utah and says she recently decided to start auditioning for shows. Last fall she played Bet in "Oliver!" at the Grand Theatre.

"I originally discovered the world of 'Grey Gardens' when the HBO movie was released," she says. "I was captivated by the story of these women, and soon after seeing the HBO film, watched the original documentary. When auditions were announced, I was so excited I jumped at the opportunity to audition.

"Right after I was cast, I got my hands on as much material as I could find. I read quite a few articles about family or friend's interactions with Edie and her mother. I read a book about the Bouvier family history, written by one of Edie's relatives. The most helpful tool I found was the original documentary, which helped me get a better grasp on Edie's mannerisms, dialect and most importantly her relationship with her mother."

The cast and director all believe the show will appeal to a wide range of theatergoers. "This is a show for strong women, and men who love strong women" Cooper says. "It is a beautiful peek into a bygone era and speaks to all of us who find ourselves stuck in a life that we never dreamed we would live." You Should Go: "Grey Gardens"

presented by Wasatch Theatre

When • Sept. 8 through Sept. 24, Thursday through Saturday, at 8 p.m. Matinees are Sept. 17 and 24 at 2 p.m.

Where • Rose Wagner Studio Theatre (138 W. 300 South)

Tickets • $15 at arttix.org or by calling 801.355.2787. The cast and crew will participate in the Wasatch Theatre After Dark Cabaret following Saturday evening performances. Admission to the cabaret is included with a ticket to the show. Visit wasatchtheatre.org for more information.