For those of you who have a vivid memory of 1932, you will recall the Academy award for Best Picture went to Grand Hotel. Produced by MGM, it was the first true all-star Hollywood film: Great Garbo, John and Lionel Barrymore, Joan Crawford and Wallace Beery were all superstars of the early talking-film era. Certainly, one of the finest films of the 1930s.
A 1958 musical version of the film was a flop. This musical, reworked in the 1980s, closely follows the plot of the film, which was based on a German-language book of 1929 by Vicki Baum (pictured here). She emigrated to the US, settling in Los Angeles to work as a screenwriter. Baum inscribed the first American edition of the book to the head of the MGM studio story department. This signed 1932 book is actually for sale now, a snip at $4,500 for any serious film collector.
The hotel, set in 1928 Berlin, represents extravagance, a carefree attitude, lavishness and gaiety in contrast to each of the vignettes of the characters who are grappling with their own demons. The resolution of each problem has a twist to it, so predicting the outcome is quite impossible. In that, it has the same appeal as an Agatha Christie murder mystery, which were quite popular when the film was made. It is no coincidence that both her books, and Baum’s book on the hotel, were so well-received. They were both attuned to the eternal human curiosity about the fate finely-drawn fictional characters dealing with the same existential crises that the readers themselves had to deal with: financial insecurity, sexual predators in the workplace, crime, facing the end of a career, and yearning for love. Grand Hotel has it all in spades; in fact, the non-speaking role of the hotel itself often takes centre-stage, since it is the stage!
One patron I had a discussion with at intermission was quite enthusiastic about the musical. “I’m quite impressed with that large a cast and how much talent they express. Now, I’m really into what is going to happen to the characters! You’ve got the typist and the baron, the guy who just made money on the stockmarket, and others. We shall see what happens in the second act.”
This kaleidoscopic musical is not for everyone. While vignettes are a tool usually used sparingly in a film or a play, this entire 2-hour production is a sequence of vignettes. Some are quite rapid-fire, lasting only seconds each. It requires concentration at a level rarely required of a theatrical production; and since some actors portray more than one of the minor characters, one must pay attention to how they are dressed to distinguish their role. I suspect many such nuances go by too quickly, like many of the intricate dance numbers, for many to comprehend.
On the subject of dancing, it is truly a sight to behold. Blocking is superb, as no one bumps into another. The precision of movements on such a small stage is incredible.
Presented by Austin’s own Alchemy Theatre, this is a surprising and surprisingly fine production. The cast of close to 20 is ready for you, so go see it soon!
GRAND HOTEL is playing thru June 15, 2025
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