The ingenious madness of grey gardens

Grey gardens is a run-down 28-room mansion, located in the east Hamptons (near new york city). Its garden is overgrown with weeds and its walls are inhabited by raccoons. Inside, daughter edie is putting together her outfit for the day: an ensemble of red rags, held together by a brooch. In the background, her mother edith is hollering for attention while one of the many cats is peeing willy-nilly. It’s just another day in the life of the aunt and cousin of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis.

Although mother and daughter Beale have long since passed away, their memory lives on. The musical based....