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Grand Hotel at New York City Center's Encores!

A note on last week's City Center's Encores! production of Maury Yeston's Grand Hotel.

Encores! productions are always a mixed bag for me. There are reasons these shows won't get full, commercials productions, however in recent years, these things seem more like backers auditions, primed for transfer. Grand Hotel seemed like one of these; it was one of the most fully realized Encores' productions I've seen.


Is it ready to transfer? No, not necessarily. For one, I don't think Josh Rhodes' direction lets the piece breathe at all. That's not all his fault; the limitations of the set certainly didn't help, and the action of the book happens at such breakneck speed. The book isn't very strong either; the drama and life-or-death stakes of the last third of the show are not developed and come out of nowhere. I hope, if there are commercial (or full production) prospects for Grand Hotel, the book is revised or re-written.

I also wasn't crazy about the choreography but I chalk that up to the fact that the set was a little too large and mad everything feel claustrophobic. For a musical originally directed and choreographed by Tommy Tune, I was expecting it to be a dance-heavy show. I was expecting to be wowed. Instead of a wow it was kind of a meh. And you know, Rhodes is no Tommy Tune.

Maury Yeston's score, of course, is magnificent. But c'mon, every score that man has written for the stage is gorgeous. He wrote one of the great scores of all time for the musical Nine. While I do think Grand Hotel is weaker than Nine or Titanic, it's still better than most contemporary scores. And when you get to hear a Yeston score played by a full, lush orchestra, you go. You go!

For me, the appeal of Encores! productions is always the cast. Grand Hotel featured a number of performers I've always enjoyed, specifically James Snyder and Brandon Uranowitz.

James Snyder's performance as the Baron Felix Von Garigern proved that he is way too good to be in musicals like In Transit and Cry-Baby. He should be a leading man, with his gorgeous, gorgeous voice. His version of "Love Can't Happen" was a highlight of the evening.

Full disclosure, Brandon Uranowitz has quickly become one of my favorite stage actors. And with good reason: he is always the best thing in everything he's in. His Mendel in Falsettos was one of my favorite performances of last season. He does not disappoint as Otto Kringelein, the dying bookkeeper. Uranowitz does more with his character over the course of a weekend than most performers do over the course of an entire six month run. He once again proves he is one of the best in the game, one of the more interesting and original performers today, and why he deserves to be a huge star. "We'll Take a Glass Together," performed by Snyder and Uranowitz, was another highlight of the evening, and a complete joy to watch. It was the showstopping moment on Sunday night that it was in 1989.

Overall, the Encores! production of Grand Hotel was an enjoyable night with more highs than lows. I'll be very pleased if it does have commercial prospects in the future. Hopefully it can win some awards for the very, very worthy Snyder and Uranowitz.

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