“Grand Hotel: The Musical”

[rating=4]Back in 2010, Scot Kokandy formed Kokandy Productions in order to bring complex story telling with music to the sophisticated audience of Chicago. Since the very onset, we have been treated to all types of special presentations- large and small; intimate and full- blown musicals, and some of the charm that one seldom gets an opportunity to see. They are currently bringing to the intimate Theater Wit /Theater One , “Grand Hotel: The Musical” with a book by Luther Davis( based on the original film of the same name by Vici Baum) and music and lyrics by Robert Wright and George Forrest, with additional music and lyrics by Maury Yeston ( who brought us the “other” Phantom)!.

It is 1928, Berlin- between wars. The stock market is booming. Berlin is the center of night life and high life ( this is right before “Cabaret”) and we, as the onlookers, or perhaps “the fly on the wall” are observing the glamorous people who gather for the week end ( or longer) at the elegant “Grand Hotel”. During this week end, we get to watch their lives intersect. The famous, the infamous, the hopefuls, the hopeless, the rich, the poor, the destitute and those who have always been good, but are now faced with needing something different to survive.

The music (directed by Aaron Benham) is very basic to the story telling, but for the most part will not have you humming as you leave the theater. For that matter, you probably will not recall one melody, but you will recall some of the stories that you will witness during this one-hour-forty-five minutes of uninterrupted story ( yes, no intermission). Part of why the story will stay with you is the deep characters that have been created by Davis, but even more so, the genius direction by John D. Glover. Working on a small stage is not an easy task, but Glover has been managing this for all of his years with Kokandy and with the brilliant set (Jeffrey D. Kmiec) it is even easier. NOTE: due to the stage size, the lobby is utilized for far more, and from time to time represents other parts of the “Grand Hotel”. Remember, this is theater, in fact, intimate theater, so kind of lay back and let your mind and heart listen to the words being said and sung and watch the skillful dance numbers choreographed by the always creative Brenda Didier and you will walk out of the theater being  highly entertained.

The cast is a group of amazingly talented performers. In the role of the Doctor ( Jerry Miller), Otto Kringelein (Jonathan Schwart) the old Jew who comes to the hotel to die, The ballerina, Elizaveta Grushinskaya ( deftly handled by Michelle Jasso) who is aging and feels that she is no longer what she was, Herman Preysing ( Jeremy Trager, once again showing his vocal range) the businessman who is about to lose it all, looking for one naughty night, Flaemmechen ( skillfully portrayed by Leryn Turlington) who is a secretary seeking stardom and wealth, The Baron Felix Von Gaigern ( a powerful performance by Erik Dohner) who has gambling debts and is hungry for money, but who shows that despite his needs, he is a better person than we might even expect. These are the main characters, but there are also those who prey on each of these characters and the hotel staff ( a rich ensemble): Liz Norton ( Raffaela) Nick Arcero, Parker Guidry, Daniel Hurst, Jennifer Ledesma, Jenny McPherson, Hanah Rose Nardone, Darren Patin, Shea Pender, Jeff Pierpont, Pavi Proczko, Maurice Randle, Rachel Whyte and Travis Austin Wright. Great job by all!

On the tech side, the lighting (Alexander Ridgers), sound ( Michael Patrick), costumes ( John Nasca), violence and intimacy choreographer ( a somewhat new classification, but done smoothly by Rachel Flesher) and props (Johnny Buranosky) were all top-notch. The only place where we might have expected more was in bar scenes- having everyone with a glass in hand might have been more effective and perhaps the public phone stations could have been there, so we did not watch people talk on imaginary phones. Some theater-goers may be new at this, so please bring your imaginations with you to the theater. Budgets and space can be limited!

“Grand Hotel; The Musical” will continue at Theater Wit, located at 1229 West Belmont Avenue through May 27th with performances as follows:

Thursdays  8 p.m.

Fridays  8 p.m.

Saturdays  8 p.m.

Sundays  3 p.m.

Saturday, May 19th, there will be an added 3 p.m. performance and another on the 26th.

Tickets ( open seating) are $40 ( seniors and students $35) and can be purchased at the box office, by calling 773-975-8150 or online at www.kokandyproductions.com

Parking is possible, but give yourself time to find one of the spaces that would be free or even metered. There is also valet parking .

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “Grand Hotel: The Musical”.