Grand Hotel (musical)

Menschen im Hotel marked the beginning of the career of popular Austrian novelist Baum in 1929. She dramatized the novel for the Berlin stage later in the same year. The play became a hit, and its English-language adaptation enjoyed success in New York in the early 1930s and was made into the blockbuster 1932 Academy Award-winning film, Grand Hotel, starring Greta Garbo, John Barrymore and Joan Crawford.[1]

The roaring '20s are still in high gear, and Berlin is the center of high life. Guests come and go at the opulent Grand Hotel, as cynical Doctor Otternschlag, who still suffers from World War I wounds, injects his morphine. Assistant concierge Erik, busy at the front desk, waits to hear of his son's birth; his wife is having a difficult labor. Baron Felix Von Gaigern, young, good-looking, and destitute, uses his charisma to help him secure a room in the overbooked hotel while stiffing a tough gangster who pretends to be a chauffeur. Aging Russian prima ballerina Elizaveta Grushinskaya arrives with her entourage who tries to persuade her that she still can and must dance. Her confidante and dresser, Raffaela knows that they would have to come up with a lot of money if the dancer failed to show up for her contracted engagements. Raffaela has feelings for Elizaveta.

Jewish bookkeeper Otto Kringelein, who is fatally ill, wants to spend his life's savings to live his final days at the hotel in the lap of luxury. The Baron helps him secure a room. Meanwhile, Hermann Preysing, the general manager of a failing textile mill, hears that the merger with a Boston company is off, spelling financial ruin; he does not want to lie to his stockholders but gives in to the pressure. He plans to go to Boston to try to revive the merger and presses his temporary secretary, Flaemmchen, to accompany him and "take care of him". She dreams of Hollywood stardom and fears she might be pregnant, but flirts with the Baron. She also agrees to a dance, at the Baron's suggestion, with the surprised and delighted Otto. Elizaveta suffers through another unsuccessful dance performance and rushes back to the hotel. She bursts into her room to find the Baron as he is about to steal her diamond necklace to pay back the gangster, but he pretends to be her biggest fan. The two fall in love with each other and spend the night. He agrees to go with her to Vienna so that she can fulfill her dancing engagements, and they will get married; they plan to meet at the train station.

Two African-American entertainers, the Jimmys, sing at the bar and dance with Flaemmchen. Erik tries to get off work so that he can join his wife at the hospital, but the unpleasant hotel manager, Rohna, refuses to give him any time off. The Baron has persuaded Otto to invest in the stock market, and Otto has made a killing in the market overnight. But Otto is not feeling well, and the Baron helps him to his room, resisting the temptation to steal his wallet. Otto rewards the Baron with some cash. The gangster confronts the Baron and directs him to steal Preysing's wallet; he gives the Baron a gun. Preysing has cornered Flaemmchen in their adjoining rooms and pressures her for sex. The Baron, who was in Preysing's room trying to steal his wallet, hears Flaemmchen's cries next door and walks into her room to defend her while still holding Preysing's wallet. After a struggle, Preysing kills the Baron with the gangster's gun. Preysing is arrested. Raffaela struggles with how to tell Grushinskaya that her lover is dead and ultimately decides not to, leaving Grushinskaya ecstatic to see him at the train station when she leaves.

Otto offers to take Flaemmchen to Paris; he has plenty of money now so that they can enjoy the good life for as much time as he has left, and she realizes that she is fond of him. Erik has a son and finds out that his wife came through the labor just fine. Doctor Otternschlag observes: "Grand Hotel, Berlin. Always the same – people come, people go – One life ends while another begins – one heart breaks while another beats faster – one man goes to jail while another goes to Paris – always the same. ... I'll stay – one more day."

• The Doorman – Charles Mandracchia
• Colonel-Doctor Otternschlag - Grievously wounded by gas and shrapnel in WWI; a cynical, ruined man – John Wylie
• The Countess - Ballroom Dancer – Yvonne Marceau
• The Gigolo - Ballroom Dancer – Pierre Dulaine
• Rohna - Hotel General Manager; a martinet – Rex D. Hays
• Erik - Intelligent young assistant concierge, ambitious, about to start a family – Bob Stillman
• The Bellboys - Georg Strunk, Kurt Kronenberg, Hans Bittner, Willibald (Captain) – Ken Jennings, Keith Crowningshield, Gerrit de Beer, J. J. Jepson,
• The Telephone Operators - Hildegarde Bratts, Sigfriede Holzhiem, Wolffe Bratts – Jennifer Lee Andrews, Suzanne Henderson, Lynnette Perry
• The Two Jimmys - Black American Entertainers – David Jackson and Danny Strayhorn
• Chauffeur - A gangster posing as a chauffeur – Ben George
• Zinnowitz - An attorney in Berlin – Hal Robinson
• Sandor - Hungarian Theatre impresario – Mitchell Jason
• Witt - Company Manager of Grushinskaya's ballet troupe – Michel Moinot
• Madame Peepee - Lavatory Attendant – Kathi Moss
• Hermann Preysing - General Director of a large textile mill; a solid burgher – Tim Jerome
• Flaemmchen (née Frieda Flamm) - A pretty young typist who has theatrical ambitions – Jane Krakowski
• Otto Kringelein - Not old, but mortally ill; a bookkeeper from a small town – Michael Jeter
• Baron Felix Von Gaigern - Young, athletic, charming, optimistic, broke – David Carroll
• Raffaela - Confidante, Secretary, and sometimes dresser to Elizaveta Grushinskaya – Karen Akers
• Elizaveta Grushinskaya - The still-beautiful, world-famous, about-to-retire Prima Ballerina – Liliane Montevecchi
• Scullery Workers: Gunther Gustafsson, Werner Holst, Franz Kohl, Ernst Schmidt – Walter Willison, David Elledge, William Ryall, Henry Grossman
• Hotel Courtesan – Suzanne Henderson
• Trudie - A Maid – Jennifer Lee Andrews
• Detective – William Ryall

After thirty-one previews, Grand Hotel opened on November 12, 1989 at the Martin Beck Theatre, and later transferred to the George Gershwin to complete its total run of 1,017 performances. The show is played without an intermission. The original cast included Liliane Montevecchi as Elizaveta Grushinskaya, David Carroll as the Baron, Michael Jeter as Otto Kringelein (garnering much praise and several awards), Jane Krakowski as Flaemmchen, Timothy Jerome as Preysing, John Wylie as Otternschlag, and Bob Stillman as Erik. Replacements later in the run included Zina Bethune and Cyd Charisse (in her Broadway debut at age 70) as Elizaveta Grushinskaya, Rex Smith, Brent Barrett, John Schneider, and Walter Willison as the Baron, Chip Zien and Austin Pendleton as Kringelein, and Lynnette Perry as Flaemmchen. The production captured 12 Tony nominations, winning five awards, including best direction and choreography for Tommy Tune. The release of the much in-demand original cast recording was delayed nearly two years. By the time the recording was made, Carroll was seriously ill with AIDS, and died from a pulmonary embolism in the recording studio as he was about to record his vocal tracks, a week prior to the recording session with the full cast. Brent Barrett, who had appeared as the Baron both on Broadway and in the national tour, sang the role for the cast album released by RCA Victor. As a homage to Carroll the cast album features a bonus track of his performance during a 1991 cabaret fundraiser for Equity Fights AIDS, singing the Baron's major song, "Love Can't Happen".

The first West End production opened on July 6, 1992 at the Dominion Theatre, where it ran for slightly fewer than four months. In 2004, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio starred as Elizaveta in a small-scale production directed by Michael Grandage at the Donmar Warehouse, garnering an Olivier Award. A further production opened on July 31, 2015 at London's Southwark Playhouse running for five weeks.

Grand Hotel: The 25th Anniversary Reunion Concert was conceived, written and directed by Walter Willison, and ran at the nightclub 54 Below in New York City on May 24, 2015.[3] Willison starred alongside fellow Broadway cast members Karen Akers, Brent Barrett, Tim Jerome, Ben George, David Jackson, Ken Jennings, Liliane Montevecchi, Hal Robinson, Meg Tolin Piper, David White, Penny Worth, and Chip Zien, with Erin Marie, Michael Choi, Bill Coyne, Joshua Dixon, Nathan Meyer, Chelsie Nectow and Jackie Washam. The Assistant Director was Lee Horwin; Musical Director, Alex Rybeck; Bass, Ray Kilday; Dance Consultant, Yvonne Marceau ; Ballroom Choreography by Erin Marie and Michael Choi; Costumes by Mitchell Bloom; Sound Design by Stuart J. Allyn; Dance Captain, Chelsie Nectow; and Wardrobe, John Robelen, Barbara Rosenthal.[4]

The musical had its Australian premiere on 16 June 2016 when Sydney Grammar School in partnership with Ascham, IGS Sydney and SCEGGS performed the show at the Alastair Mackerras Theatre in Darlinghurst, Sydney. The show ran until 21 June 2016 with a total of four performances, and all but one show was completely sold out. The primary cast included: J. Sapsford as The Baron, G.R. Harrington as Grushinskaya, E. Fair as Flaemmchen, M. Jelbart as Kringelein, M. Gibson as The Doctor, H. Charlesworth as Erik and F. Brooks as Preysing. The production was directed by Peter Rudge, and conducted by Greg Howard.[5] The set was designed by renowned Sydney theatre designers, Charles Davis and Jeremy Allen[6][7] specifically for this production.[8]

The show was produced by Encores!, directed by Josh Rhodes, in New York City from March 21–25. 2018.

Grand Hotel: A 30th Anniversary Celebration In Concert was conceived, written and directed by Walter Willison, a benefit for the Actors Fund of America, Dedicated to Liliane Montevecchi, ran at the nightclub “The Yellow Pavillion” (aka The Green Fig), presented by The Green Room 42, in New York City on November 11, 2019. [9] Willison starred alongside fellow Broadway cast members Karen Akers, Keith Crowningshield, Tim Jerome, David Jackson, Ken Jennings, Charles Mandracchia, Michael Piehl, John Schneider, Jill Powell, David White, Penny Worth, and Special Guest Stars Judy Kaye and Sachi Parker, with Erin Marie, Zachary Bordonaro, Emily Elizabeth Cobb, Katie Dixon, John Drinkwater, Matthew Drinkwater, Daniel Dunlow, and Harper Lee Andrews (daughter of original cast member Jennifer Lee Andrews). The Associate Director and Choreographer (in the style of Tommy Tune) was Joanna Rush; Musical Director, Elliot Finkel; Dance Consultant, Yvonne Marceau; Ballroom Choreography by Erin Marie and Zachary Bordonaro; Costumes by Mitchell Bloom; Sound and Lighting Design by Marty Gasper; Dance Captain, Emily Elizabeth Cobb; Stage Manager, Mark Lord and Wardrobe Mistress, Barbara Rosenthal; Liliane Montevecchi Lobby Designed by Steven Minichiello.[4] [10]

• Not Since Carrie: Forty Years of Broadway Musical Flops by Ken Mandelbaum, published by St. Martin's Press (1991), pages 213-216 (ISBN 0-312-06428-4)
• Grand Hotel at the Music Theatre International website
• Information from the StageAgent.com website
• 2005 Olivier Awards:
• 54 Sings Grand Hotel: The 25th Anniversary Reunion Concert by Marilyn Lester
• This Week on Broadway for May 17, 2015: Walter Willison and Grand Hotel, The 25th Anniversary Concert at 54 Below by James Marino

• Grand Hotel at the Internet Broadway Database