Cinballera Entertainment to Present ‘Week-end at the Grand Hotel’
By David SalazarCalifornia-based Cinballera Entertainment will present “Week-end at the Grand Hotel” on Nov. 2 and 9 at 3 p.m. at The Grand Ritz Theater in Escondido, California.
The original “ballopera” blends cinema, ballet, and opera into a single work inspired by the classic films “Grand Hotel” (1932) and “Week-end at the Waldorf” (1945).
The work is set in 1945 at the now-demolished Carlsbad Mineral Springs Hotel & Spa and centers on five guests whose lives intertwine over one dramatic weekend — a despondent opera diva, a disgraced baron-turned-jewel thief, an ambitious stenographer, a shell-shocked Army pilot, and a greedy business tycoon. The score features music ranging from the theatre works of Kurt Weill to arias from grand verismo operas.
The cast includes soprano Tiffany Brannan as Grusinskaya, tenor John Nettles as Baron Felix von Geigern, mezzo-soprano Rebekah Brannan as stenographer Bunny Smith, bass Bryan Dahl as businessman Martin X, and tenor Shawn Taylor as concierge Randy.
Dr. Joseph Valent serves as Music Director, providing live piano accompaniment for all vocal and dance numbers.
Cinballera Entertainment was founded by sisters Tiffany and Rebekah Brannan with the aim of blending cinema, ballet, and opera. The company is now in its third season.
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