This July, the theatre at fortyfivedownstairs will be overgrown by Grey Gardens as Australian music theatre stars Helen Dallimore (Wicked and Legally Blonde) and Deidre Rubenstein (My Fair Lady and Shakespeare in Love) transform into the legendary mother daughter duo, Big and Little Edith (Edie) Bouvier Beale.
With music by Scott Frankel, lyrics by Michael Korie, and book by Doug Wright, the Tony Award-winning musical Grey Gardens takes its inspiration from the iconic 1975 documentary that introduced the world to two extraordinary and endearing eccentrics whose bond was as complicated as it was profound. That they were the aunt and cousin of Jackie Kennedy only heightened the public’s fascination with their story, which has endured for generations.
This new production, the first in Melbourne since the musical’s premiere in 2011, will be directed by Tyran Parke (Elegies: A Song Cycle and Ordinary Days) and presented by Clovelly Fox and fortyfivedownstairs.
For Tyran and fortyfivedownstairs Artistic Director Cameron Lukey, it’s the realisation of a long-held dream. “On an international trip in 2006, New York delivered with an incredible, award-winning new musical, Grey Gardens, and London delivered with a sparkling new West End star – Helen Dallimore, as the original Glinda in Wicked,” says Parke
“Twenty years later, I’m delighted that both those experiences are coming together, with the addition of a great doyenne of Melbourne theatre, Diedre Rubenstein, in what promises to be a remarkable production of this haunting musical,” said Parke.
“Grey Gardens has been a bucket list show ever since I first heard the Broadway recording, and I couldn’t think of a better setting than fortyfivedownstairs. The space is already (charmingly) grungy, so it should lend itself well to the dilapidated grandeur of Grey Gardens,” said Lukey.
For Dallimore and Rubenstein, these are dream roles – “I’m thrilled to be inhabiting the iconic Edie’s, Big and Little, in this hilarious and heartbreaking musical,” says Dallimore.
For Rubenstein, the offer to play Big Edie inspired her to revisit the original documentary. “Despite the shocking squalor and unorthodox nature of their lives, these women are so endearing and strangely heroic,” she said.
“They are entirely true to themselves. I will be thrilled to discover the spirit of Edith Beale within me in this marvellous show, and it will be a joy to be directed by Tyran who has such a passion for the show, and to play with and opposite the brilliant Helen Dallimore,” said Rubenstein.
Grey Gardens
fortyfivedownstairs, 45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
Season: 19 July – 2 August 2026 (previews: 17 & 18 July)
Information and Bookings: www.fortyfivedownstairs.com
Image: Helen Dallimore and Deidre Rubenstein to star in Grey Gardens – photo by Amber Schmidt