Grand Hotel - fantasy casting
dybji called me out on my “a re-staging would be nice” and asked me what troupe I would chose, so here I go.
Disclaimer: I have watched the musical once on a rather sketchy 90ies recording and have a so-so knowledge of current troupes.
So lets look at what I “know”
Role Cast (position in troupe) Role description original musical
Otto Kringelein Suzukaze Mayo (Top) Not old, but mortally ill; a bookkeeper from a small town
Frida Flaemmchen Asano Kayo (Top) A pretty young typist who has theatrical ambitions
Raffaela Ontonio Amami Yuuki (Nibante?) Confidante, Secretary, and sometimes dresser to Elizaveta Grushinskaya
Baron Felix Von Gaigern Kuze Seika (Sanbante?) Young, athletic, charming, optimistic, broke
Elizaveta Grushinskaya Hane Chisato (upperclass musumeyaku) The still-beautiful, world-famous, about-to-retire Prima Ballerina
Otternschlag Natori Rei (senka) Grievously wounded by gas and shrapnel in WWI; a cynical, ruined man
Hermann Preysing Ebira Kaoru (senka) General Director of a large textile mill; a solid burgher
The Gigolo Ban Akira (senka) Ballroom Dancer
The Countess Wakao Risa (otokoyaku but seems to have done a lot of female roles) Ballroom Dancer
I don’t like the nibante/female role so I would prefer to send either the nibante or the sanbante off to do something else and leave Raffaela to either another upperclass musumeyaku or Itsumine Aki or Miho Keiko and let the remaining ni-sanbante play the Baron. There isn’t really enough large otokoyaku roles to make this an ideal grand theatre show. If we put it in a smaller theatre or make it a tour show I think we might not need Preysing and The Gigolo be senka (with another disclaimer on the fact that I don’t know if there is something about the Gigolo that requires him to be older.)
Current(Future) troupes main line-up
Hanagumi Tsukigumi Yukigumi Hoshigumi Soragumi
Asumi Rio Tamaki Ryou Sagiri Seina Hokushou Kairi Asaka Manato
Kano Maria Manaki Reika Sakihi Miyu Hinami Fuu Misaki Rion
Serika Toa ?? Nozomi Fuuto Kurenai Yuzuru Makaze Suzuho
Yuzuka Rei ?? Ayakaze Sakina Rei Makoto Aizuki Hikaru
What to choose? Most obvious choices for me would be either Yukigumi (send Sakina off) or Hoshigumi (either Beni or Coto would be ok) since Otto requires comedy skills and Flaemmchen is a bit of a young cute girl type of role and the Baron is a bit of a bad guy with good heart.
They are also my current favourite line-ups.
But I will go with Hanagumi. If we let Kiki do something else I think this would be a nice challenge for the other three. And I might have a chance to figure out what I think of current Hanagumi a bit more.
Disclaimer: I have watched the musical once on a rather sketchy 90ies recording and have a so-so knowledge of current troupes.
So lets look at what I “know”
Role Cast (position in troupe) Role description original musical
Otto Kringelein Suzukaze Mayo (Top) Not old, but mortally ill; a bookkeeper from a small town
Frida Flaemmchen Asano Kayo (Top) A pretty young typist who has theatrical ambitions
Raffaela Ontonio Amami Yuuki (Nibante?) Confidante, Secretary, and sometimes dresser to Elizaveta Grushinskaya
Baron Felix Von Gaigern Kuze Seika (Sanbante?) Young, athletic, charming, optimistic, broke
Elizaveta Grushinskaya Hane Chisato (upperclass musumeyaku) The still-beautiful, world-famous, about-to-retire Prima Ballerina
Otternschlag Natori Rei (senka) Grievously wounded by gas and shrapnel in WWI; a cynical, ruined man
Hermann Preysing Ebira Kaoru (senka) General Director of a large textile mill; a solid burgher
The Gigolo Ban Akira (senka) Ballroom Dancer
The Countess Wakao Risa (otokoyaku but seems to have done a lot of female roles) Ballroom Dancer
I don’t like the nibante/female role so I would prefer to send either the nibante or the sanbante off to do something else and leave Raffaela to either another upperclass musumeyaku or Itsumine Aki or Miho Keiko and let the remaining ni-sanbante play the Baron. There isn’t really enough large otokoyaku roles to make this an ideal grand theatre show. If we put it in a smaller theatre or make it a tour show I think we might not need Preysing and The Gigolo be senka (with another disclaimer on the fact that I don’t know if there is something about the Gigolo that requires him to be older.)
Current(Future) troupes main line-up
Hanagumi Tsukigumi Yukigumi Hoshigumi Soragumi
Asumi Rio Tamaki Ryou Sagiri Seina Hokushou Kairi Asaka Manato
Kano Maria Manaki Reika Sakihi Miyu Hinami Fuu Misaki Rion
Serika Toa ?? Nozomi Fuuto Kurenai Yuzuru Makaze Suzuho
Yuzuka Rei ?? Ayakaze Sakina Rei Makoto Aizuki Hikaru
What to choose? Most obvious choices for me would be either Yukigumi (send Sakina off) or Hoshigumi (either Beni or Coto would be ok) since Otto requires comedy skills and Flaemmchen is a bit of a young cute girl type of role and the Baron is a bit of a bad guy with good heart.
They are also my current favourite line-ups.
But I will go with Hanagumi. If we let Kiki do something else I think this would be a nice challenge for the other three. And I might have a chance to figure out what I think of current Hanagumi a bit more.