Amazon.com: OK, so it's not exactly The Threepenny Opera. Still, Grand Hotel has plenty of the atmosphere of prewar Berlin in this Broadway production, directed and choreographed by Tommy Tune. Based on the 1932 star-studded, Oscar-winning film, the show takes place in Europe's most luxurious hotel and follows the intertwining lives and shattered dreams of both regular and once-in-a-lifetime guests. Leading the ensemble cast are Parisian follies star Liliane Montevecchi as the aging ballerina, and strong tenor Brent Barrett as the dashing but debt-saddled baron. Also appearing are Ally McBeal's Jane Krakowski as the would-be movie star, cabaret artist Karen Akers as Montevecchi's confidante, and Michael Jeter as the dying bookkeeper. The score was written by Robert Wright and George Forrest (who brought Borodin to Broadway with Kismet), with additional material by Maury Yeston (Titanic), and the highlights include the soaring romantic ballad "Love Can't Happen," the jazzy scat of "Maybe My Baby Loves Me," and the sassy Charleston number "H-A-P-P-Y." Plenty of dialogue helps capture the flow of the show, and the CD also includes a live cabaret performance of "Love Can't Happen" by the late David Carroll, who originated the baron role on Broadway. --David Horiuchi
Disc 1:
The Grand Parade/Some Have, Some Have Not - Henry Grossman/William Ryall/David Elledge/Walter Willison/Kathi Moss/Brent Barrett/Bob Stillman
Dialogue (Look at Him) - John Wylie
At The Grand Hotel/Table With A View - Michael Jeter/Brent Barrett
Maybe My Baby Loves Me - David Jackson/Danny Strayhorn/Jane Krakowski
Fire and Ice/Twenty-two Years/Villa On A Hill - Liliane Montevecchi/Karen Akers
I Want To Go To Hollywood - Jane Krakowski
Dialogue (Sorry to Repout) - John Wylie
The Crooked Path/Some Have, Some Have Not - Timothy Jerome/Henry Grossman/William Ryall/David Elledge/Walter Willison
Who Couldn't Dance With You - Jane Krakowski/Brent Barrett/Michael Jeter
Dialouge (So Tell Me Baron...) - Liliane Montevecchi
Love Can't Happen - Brent Barrett
What You Need - Karen Akers
Bonjour Amour - Liliane Montevecchi
H-a-p-p-y/We'll Take A Glass Together - David Jackson/Danny Strayhorn/Michael Jeter/Brent Barrett
I Waltz Alone - John Wylie/Brent Barrett/Michael Jeter
Dialogue (No Creature on this Planet...) - John Wylie
Roses At The Station - Brent Barrett
Dialogue (Two Scary Enemies...) - John Wylie
Bolero - Orchestra
How Can I Tell Her? - Karen Akers
Trial Score - Bob Stillman/The Company
The Grand Waltz - Entire Company/Henry Grossman/William Ryall/David Elledge/Walter Willison/Jack Lee
Love Can't Happen (Live At Steve Mc Graw's) - David Carroll
Grand Hotel - Grand Recording The original cast recording of Grand Hotel is grand indeed. Exellent orchestrations and as excellent cast. The emotion of the piece is conveye d thoroughly on this recording.
Grand Hotel "Grand Hotel" is a fine musical with songs by George Forrest and Robert Wright and some additional material by Maury Yeston. What stole the show in this musical, however, was Mr. Tommy Tune's inventive staging. That doesn't mean audiences went out humming the staging, though. The songs are excellet as well. Some standouts include the opening number, "Grand Hotel" or "The Grand Parade" as it is officially titled written by Mr. Yeston is a wonderfully jaunty opening number. "At The Grand Hotel\Table With a View", performed by the incomparable Michael Jeter is a lovely selection. "Maybe My Baby Loves Me" is tuneful fun. "Love Can't Happen" is a very romantic ballad and "What You Need" is a wonderful Weill-esque number performed with conviciton by one my favorite performers, Karen Akers. "We'll Take a Glass Together" is also a great showstopper performed by Mr. Jeter and Brent Barret. The performances are excellent. Ms. Akers and Mr. Jeter steal the show. Thinking about the performances of their songs "What You Need" and "We'll Take a Glass Together" performed by Akers and Jeter respectively sends chills through my body. Brent Barret is fine as the Baron and Liliane Montevecchi as the retiring balerina is excellent, although her role in "Nine" was better suited for her. Jane Krawkowski is also great as a young wannabe movie star. The orchestrations by Peter Matz are excellent. The original cast album includes a bonus track of David Carroll performing "Love Can't Happen" at a cabaret. Mr. Carroll starred as the Baron durring the beginning of the run, but was diagnosed with HIV and was replaced by Brent Barrett. Because of legal issues, the cast album was recorded late in the run. The creative team thought that it'd be a good idea to have the still living, if very ill Mr. Carroll perform his songs. Alas, he died of AIDS in the studio before his tracks could be recorded. The bonus track is nice for people who enjoy the vocalizing of Mr. Carroll. I don't particulary like his voice and prefer Mr. Barrett's performance of the song. However, his passing was very unfortunate and he is missed.
Mr. Jeter Traveled from AZ. to NYC specifically to see Michael Jeter perform live in "Grand Hotel". A man of remarkable talent who went way too soon. He is the only reason I went and the only reason I have this cd. For him I give it 4 stars.
"Grand Hotel" ain't anywhere near grand. I saw the original Broadway cast and I have never heard such praise for such a worthless piece of fluff in all my years as a Broadway performer and fan. But being a Broadway fan, I bought the album to give the show a second chance. Sitting through this mismatch of Yeston mediocre and Wright and Forest dregs, I sadly had to throw the recording away. I didn't even want it in my extensive collection. The only saving grace was "Let's Lift a Glass" with a haunting Michael Jeeter. Otherwise not one performance by any of the actor/singers came close to their previous work or their work to come. I was so disappointed because I had loved the original cast of "Nine" and was so excited about a new Yeston musical. And there in lies the tale--Tommy Tune, who I consider the last great director/choreographer of the Golden Age of Broadway, should have taken the idea that Wright and Forest had presented him and said "Thank you but go back to preserving the original concept of 'Anya' and let me hire Maury Yeston to write a completely new score. I'll make sure that he doesn't listen to one shred of your original score." Then we might have really had a smashing show based on a marvelously grand soap opera.
stunning, fabulous musical GRAND HOTEL is still one of the most ambitious Broadway musicals ever written. The lovely score by Maury Yeston (NINE, TITANIC) as well as Robert Wright and George Forrest is simply sublime. One of the best 'ensemble' musicals ever written.
The story concerns the various guests and employees at a well-to-do hotel in Berlin: the ageing ballerine Elizaveta (Liliane Montevecchi - NINE) and her lesbian companion Raffaela (Karen Akers - NINE); the dashing Baron Felix (Brent Barrett); the ambitious hotel typist Miss Flaemmchen (Jane Krakowski); Mr Kringelein (Michael Jeter), the dying clerk looking for one last fling; and the Doctor (John Wylie) who guides us through these various stories and relationships.
Standout numbers include the manic "Fire and Ice", the Baron's beautiful ballad "Love Can't Happen", Flaemmchen's jaunty-yet bittersweet "I Want to Go to Hollywood", "Who Couldn't Dance with You" and "Bonjour Amour".
David Carroll originated the role of Baron Felix in the Broadway production, though he was very ill, suffering from the ravages of AIDS. Carroll left the production before the cast album was recorded and died shortly after. Brent Barrett from the national tour was brought in to record the role for the cast album. Added as a bonus here is David Carroll's rendition of "Love Can't Happen", recorded live at Steve McGraw's with Wally Harper at the piano.
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