`Grey Gardens' closes July 29

Despite the Tony-winning performances of its two stars, "Grey Gardens," the musical about eccentric relatives of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, will close July 29, its producers announced Monday.

"We always knew that `Grey Gardens' faced an uphill challenge during the summer months," said Kelly Gonda, one of the producers of the show. "And so we made the difficult decision to end our run on July 29 with our incomparable original cast."

The musical will have played 307 performances and 22 previews when it ends its run at the Walter Kerr Theatre.

Mary Louise Wilson, who had won a Tony for playing Big Edie in "Grey Gardens," said last week she was leaving the show on that date. Wilson, along with leading lady Christine Ebersole and costume designer William Ivey Long, received Tonys June 10 for their work on the production which originated in spring 2006 at off-Broadway's Playwrights Horizons. It moved to Broadway in the fall.

The show, based on the 1975 film documentary by David and Albert Maysles, features a book by Doug Wright, author of the Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning "I Am My Own Wife," and a score by Scott Frankel (music) and Michael Korie (lyrics).

Ebersole is scheduled to appear in the London production of the musical, expected to open sometime in the 2007-2008 season.