Grey Gardens

Underneath Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis' Chanel and designer shades lurked two dirty little secrets: her paternal aunt, Edith Bouvier Beale, and cousin, Edith Beale.

Informally referred to as Big Edie and Little Edie, the mother and daughter lived in squalor at a once resplendent East Hampton mansion dubbed Grey Gardens.

The contrast between Onassis' clean propriety and the Beales' varmint-infested lifestyle sparked tabloid interest.

Then, in 1975, brothers Albert and David Maysles debuted an intimate documentary about the eccentric recluses who cooked corn on a hotplate in bed, fed raccoons in the attic, harbored a herd of cats and a circus of fleas, and climbed over mountains of garbage in each room just to find the doorknob.

The film "Grey Gardens" became a cult hit, spawning legions of fans, an HBO movie starring Drew Barrymore as Little Edie and the 2006 Broadway musical. The award-winning show opened Thursday at freeFall Theatre in St. Petersburg, with a cast of nine that includes Wyn Wilson (Big Edie, Act I and Little Edie, Act II), Katie Zaffrann (Young Little Edie, Act I) and Ann Hurst (Big Edie, Act II). And let's not forget the house, which bears the presence of an actual character.

"In the script it's clear that the house is a major part of their lives. The house is what's keeping them (both) alive and trapped," said director Eric Davis.

Michael Korie's lyrics, with music by Scott Frankel, articulate the dysfunction yet emphasize the absurdity of their predicament: "When am I gonna get out of here? The musty smell of feline fur. The dusty marks where pictures were. The vermin in the furniture. You're entering Grey Gardens."

Wilson is in the unique position of cultivating both sides of this textbook co-dependent relationship. She also faces the challenge of re-creating Little Edie's distinctive upper-crust accent and Big Edie's singing voice.

"I've been a big fan of the documentary for several years. I'm a Little Edie-phile. The accent alone I have to imitate, because it's all her own. Big Edie is more difficult. She was a trained opera singer. Vocally and pitchwise she's got an affected quality. I have to reference Ann for my character in the first act and then Katie has to reference me. There's a lot of listening."

For all their claims of being staunch characters, the Beale women were, in fact, quite vulnerable.

Emotionally and financially unstable, they concealed their frailties behind the doors of a dilapidated castle, canned gourmet foods and vintage couture refashioned into innovative headwear, tube tops and skirts.

"Creative costuming became such an interesting metaphor for their lives. They took things and used them in ways you're not supposed to. They had no rules and carved out strange ways of living and dressing," Davis said.