Barrymore and
Lange to play the Beales of Grey Gardens

Variety reports that Drew Barrymore will play "Little Edie" Beale and Jessica Lange her mother, "Big Edie" Bouvier Beale, in a new drama based on the eccentric socialites immortalized in the gay cult fave documentary Grey Gardens. Written and directed by first-timer Michael Sucsy, this new film--also titled Grey Gardens--will cover 40 years of their lives, and other characters will include Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Ben Bradlee, and Sally Quinn. (The latter two bought the crumbling Grey Gardens mansion from Little Edie after Big Edie's death.) The Beales became infamous when the local health department threatened to evict them from their estate in East Hampton, N.Y. After the intervention of Onassis, a cousin of Big Edie, the Beales continued to live there and were eventually the subject of David and Albert Maysles's legendary 1975 documentary. A new musical about the Beales--also titled Grey Gardens and featuring a book by gay playwright Doug Wright (I Am My Own Wife)--is currently in previews off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons. (Advocate.com)