GRAND HOTEL

[wickedfan]

Posted: 4/4/04 at 9:40pm

I just purchased the cd. Having seen the movie many times, I know what it is about and what happens. The musical, in my opinion, has a wonderful score. Not to mention great performances, the pictures look like it was an interesting show, pretty much a bare stage with dozens of chairs. Has anyone seen the original production? What was it like? I am DYING to know more about it.

[George67]

Posted: 4/4/04 at 10:06pm

I saw it on Broadway, and there were multiple sets. Jane Krakowlski (sp?) and Michael Jeter were still in the show when I saw it. John Schneider was the playboy down on his luck/scam artist. I have to admit, after seeing the commercials at the time, where they showed him barechested on stage, I felt a bit gyped when I saw it and he never showed any skin :)

But overall I loved the show alot and would love to see a revival.

[FrancisGumm]

Posted: 4/4/04 at 10:10pm

the only song i've heard is on Maury Yeston's cd. i really liked it and wished i could have seen the original.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 4/4/04 at 10:13pm

It started out I believe in the 60's called" At The Grand" starring Paul Muni. Music by the Kismet team. It closed on the road. Some of that score wound up in Grand Hotel along with new songs by Maury Yeston

I saw it & thought it was very good.The sets,costumes, choreography were all first rate. The original leading man on the road had to drop out due to illness ( he later died ). He does the bonus track on the CD & his name escapes me. Brent Barrett took over as the Count. He was good as was Michael Jeter as the dying accountant Otto. Jane Krakowski had a good number " I Want To Go To Hollywood" although the one it replaced "Flemmchen" was better & should have stayed in

Hope this helps

Updated On: 4/4/04 at 10:13 PM

[redmustang]

Posted: 4/4/04 at 10:14pm

I also am a great fan of the film and saw the original Broadway production. It was just a beautiful show, great music, great cast, great plot. It lost the Tony to City of Angels, I think, which I thought was an inferior show. If you can find a copy of the Tony show that year, the song they performed was We'll Take a Glass Together, and it brought down the house, as it did every night in the show. The late Michael Jeter was marvelous in the Lionel Barrymore role and won the Featured Actor Tony. The Bolero (track 19 on the CD) was a gorgeous ballet number. Liliane Montevecchi in the Garbo role and Jane Krakowski in the Crawford role were both stunning. Great dancing, great singing. Just a visually beautiful musical. Whenever I play the CD, it brings back memories of the night I saw it.

[gherbert]

Posted: 4/4/04 at 11:00pm

Mr. Roxy, actually, it is a very sad story. David Carroll was the original Baron. For a very long time, no record company wanted to make the album. It was very strange because the show had recieved a lot of hype and was selling well. Still no cast album. David Carroll began to miss performances. Rumors started circulating that he had AIDS, but people wouldn't believe it because in the show he had to do so much physically straining work that there was no way he could possibly do all of it with AIDS. But, unfortunately, the rumors were true and David Carroll had to drop out of the show because he was becoming more and more sick. Brent Barrett was his replacement. Now someone, I forget which record company, agreed to make the album. The original cast was assembled, but David Carroll was very, very ill, so the producers decided to bring him in early to record his tracks. He got there that day and right before recording he said he was going to go to the bathroom. And that is where he died.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 4/5/04 at 12:09am

Yep, gherbert, that story is sadly true. =(

I did Grand Hotel in 99 in Seattle and Houston. The cast had actors from Broadway (Montevecchi to name one!), West End, National Tour, and regionally as well as folks (like me) who had never done it before. It was one of those lifechanging experiences working with that cast and crew, the director being Tommy Tune's Associate Director on the original. It was a gorgeous production that many felt was revival worthy--so maybe the show will revisit Broadway someday.

It's interesting to note that when an amateur theatre tries to do the show, the script and score apparently does not include Yeston's music due to conflicts by the Kismet team who are very resentful that Yeston was brought in to fix the score. This may be why it is rarely done at regional theatre, too.

[poodleboy]

Posted: 4/5/04 at 9:50am

The Donmar in London is doing "Grand Hotel" this winter, it will be interesting how they do it in such a small space (I think it only has 4 row of seats downstairs and 4 or 5 up).
David Carroll was truly one of the most talented men to ever grace the broadway stage. He is wonderful on the Broadway "Chess" recording. The show was bad, but his singing was so fine.

[tpdc]

Posted: 4/5/04 at 2:22pm

GRAND HOTEL was done in DC about two years ago and it had all the Yeston songs.

I first saw the Broadway production at one of the last previews and those numbers in the last third of the show (Love Can't Happen, We'll Take a Glass, Bonjour Amour and the tango) all were showstoppers. The audience went wild for Jeter's leap over the pole in We'll Take a Glass and when Carroll held the note at the end of Love for what seemed like forever. When the male tango dancer seemed to throw his partner up in the air and then catch her, the audience gasped.

I also enjoyed the tour with Montevechi, Barrett, Mark Baker, Delee Lively and Anthony Franciosa and the DC production at Signature.