Previews for the Shaw Festival’s 2018 main stage musical Grand Hotel start Thursday, taking viewers back to the 1920s in Weimar Berlin from the comfort of the Festival Theatre.
The musical is based on Vicki (Hedwig) Baum’s Grand Hotel, or “Menschen im Hotel.”
Grand Hotel “soars with song and dance encapsulating the era’s zest for life,” said the Festival.
“It’s 1928 Berlin. Optimism and champagne flow. The lives of the Grand Hotel's guests – the aging prima ballerina (Deborah Hay), penniless Baron (James Daly), dying bookkeeper (Michael Therriault), Colonel-Doctor (Steven Sutcliffe), businessman (Jay Turvey) and ambitious typist (Vanessa Sears) – collide over one unforgettable night.”
Set and costume designs echo the styles of the “fashionistas” of 1928 Berlin, “creating the glamorous playground of the privileged.”
The production is directed by Eda Holmes, with music direction by Paul Sportelli and choreography by Parker Esse. Original music and lyrics are by Robert Wright and George Forrest.
To purchase tickets for the 2018 Festival season contact the Shaw Festival Box Office at 1-800-511-SHAW or online at, shawfest.com.
WHAT: Grand Hotel previews
WHERE: Shaw Festival Theatre, 10 Queen’s Parade, Niagara-on-the-Lake
WHEN: May 3 to Oct. 14
