Newcomer Erin Davie to Play Young Edie in Grey Gardens

Broadway newcomer Erin Davie will play Young Edie Beale in the Broadway production of Grey Gardens, which begins previews at the Walter Kerr Theatre on October 3. She replaces Sara Gettelfinger, who played Young Edie at Playwrights Horizons last season.

The announcement of Davie's casting confirmed that a "summer-long search" was conducted for the high-profile role. Davie has previously appeared in the national tours of Wicked, Swing! and The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber. Also joining the Broadway cast is nine-year-old Kelsey Fowler, who will play Young Lee Bouvier.

Grey Gardens brings to life both the eccentric aunt and cousin of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Once among the brightest names in the pre-Camelot social register, these two women became East Hampton's most notorious recluses, living in a dilapidated 28-room mansion. Set in two eras—1941, when the estate was in its prime, and 1973, when it was reduced to squalor—the musical tells the alternately hilarious and heartbreaking story of two indomitable individuals, Edith Bouvier Beale and her adult daughter 'Little' Edie. In Act One, Christine Ebersole plays Edith to Davie's Little Edie; in Act Two, Ebersole plays a middle-aged Little Edie opposite Mary Louise Wilson as her mother.

Based on the legendary 1975 documentary of the same name by David and Albert Maysles, the musical version of Grey Gardens helped usher in a new resurgence of interest in the strange life of the Beale women. The Maysles Brothers recently released a companion movie The Beales of Grey Gardens featuring previously unseen outtakes from the original documentary, several upcoming books are on tap including a collection of Edie's original poetry and a Hollywood feature based on the documentary is in pre-production starring Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange.

In addition to Ebersole—who won 2006 Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Obie, New York Drama Critics Circle and Drama League Distinguished Performance of the Year Awards for her performance—Wilson and Davie, the Broadway production of Grey Gardens will feature original cast members John McMartin as Major Bouvier, Bob Stillman as Gould, Matt Cavenaugh as Joe Kennedy Jr./ Jerry, Michael Potts as Brooks and Sarah Hyland as Young Jacqueline Bouvier.

Grey Gardens is set to open at the Walter Kerr on November 2.