Review of Kokandy Productions' Grand Hotel

Once upon a time I went to a show and it was called Grand Hotel. The book was by Luther Davis and the music and lyrics were by Robert Wright and George Forrest based on Vicki Baum's Grand Hotel. Additional music and lyrics were by Maury Yeston. It was directed by John D. Glover. Music direction was by Aaron Benham, and choreography was by Brenda Didier. It was about a hotel in Berlin in 1928. It is a very expensive hotel with an array of guests. Baron Felix Von Gaigern (Erik Dohner) was deep in debt and turning to crime to get money. A ballet dancer, Elizaveta Grushinskaya (Michelle Jasso) is on one of her various farewell tours. Hermann Preysing (Jeremy Trager) is on a business trip trying to settle the merger between his company and another. Otto Kringelein (Jonathan Schwart) has been told that he doesn't have long to live and he has come to the hotel to embrace life. The play also focuses on people who are not staying at the hotel, like the typist Flaemmchen (Leryn Turlington) who is working for Mr. Preysing but wants to be an actress in Hollywood. And Erik (Parker Guidry), who works at the hotel, is waiting for news of his baby being born. It is about humanity, passion, and searching for meaning.

I found myself really caring about the romances in this show. At first, the relationship between Elizaveta and the Baron seemed a little bit out of nowhere, just as it is in the movie, so I wasn't sure I would care about it as much as some of the other relationships. But I did. I thought they had great chemistry on stage. The way that they meet is problematic, but very dramatic. It is based on a movie from the thirties, which tend to be very melodramatic, so it kind of makes sense that they meet in such a strange way. He has broken into her room to steal something and tries to distract her by pretending he is a fan who is obsessed with her. If someone broke into my room and said, "I'm your biggest fan," I would tell them to get out. And at first I was like that with this relationship. It is kind of creepy. But when you see how they relate to each other and how they actually seem to love each other, your fears go out the window because it is a musical. Also, you see what a more predatory person looks like in Preysing, and the Baron decides to protect the person in danger in that case. Also the Baron is such a sweetheart to Otto and seems to be a caring person. You end up sympathizing with him because he is out of money, comes clean about his crimes, is trying to help a friend, and puts other people's safety before his own. It is weird that the play wants you to sympathize with someone who does something so creepy, and it made me think about how society has changed in such minor ways since the thirties. We feel like we've come a long way, but we still struggle with how much people should be held accountable.

The relationship between Flaemmchen and Kringelein was adorable. It was a good friendship that the play hinted could become something else. They had this very cute song where Otto and Flaemmchen are dancing called "Who Couldn't Dance with You?" Otto at first is really scared but Flaemmchen helps him along and he gains confidence. It was a really cute way to introduce their friendship. They also help each other through grief and hard times. It is a very different relationship than the Baron and Elizaveta have. It is less passion and more genuine connection. But I think that both of the relationships seem to work even though they are very different.

This show gave us several characters that we do not get to see in the original film, but it didn't give them very many characteristics or much of a backstory. I do understand that they didn't want an insanely long show, but I do feel as if it is unsatisfying that they give us a glimpse of what the workers' lives are like at the Grand Hotel without really giving a complex view of their stories. They acknowledge them at the beginning and the end (especially the character of Erik), and they are in the background most of the time, but I really wanted to know more about them. There is a song called "Some Have, Some Have Not," sung by the workers near the beginning of the show about how the people who stay at the hotel are rich and powerful and how the people serving them want that life too. It is a very angry song, which I completely understand, and the tone is threatening. But it presents them as a mass instead of each as individual people, which made me think the show did not care as much about the workers' stories as they tried to present. I think the employees being worked into the story was a good idea, but they just didn't follow through in the script enough.

The new characters that work at the hotel that we get the most information about are the Jimmys (Darren Patin and Travis Austin Wright). I still would have liked to know more about them, but they had my favorite song "Maybe My Baby Loves Me," which was a tap dance number. They danced with Flaemmchen, and we learn they are from America and where they grew up their streets weren't paved. Flaemmchen thinks America will be great. The Jimmys encourage her in her dream to become a movie star, but they warn her that America may not be as great as she thinks it is. I love a good tap dance number, and this one was especially good. They had good technique and were perfectly in sync. Flaemmchen being added into the number was a cool surprise. It was really cool to hear the rhythm of the scat go along with the rhythm of the tap.

People who would like this show are people who like surprisingly sympathetic thieves, unlikely adorable pairings, and scat tap. I think this show has some really great performances,lovely dancing, and some good songs. I liked it.


Photos: Evan Hanover