Opera UCLA, in collaboration with The Herb Alpert School of Music and UCLA School of Theatre, Film and Television, is set to present the world premiere of “The Grant Hotel Tartarus.”

The new work by composer Richard Danielpour will bow on May 21 and 23, 2024 preceded by preview performances on May 17 and 19.

The opera follows six guests who arrive at a hotel, only to realize it’s not what they were expecting. They each struggle with their own sins and guilt as they seek to make it through their stay.

“The idea for the opera came to me after a disastrous three day stay at a Las Vegas hotel which eventually left me bedridden with the flu and fever. Two weeks later, Los Angeles and the entire country went into lockdown due to the pandemic. It was at that time that I began to write the libretto for the work,” said Danielpour per an official press release. “Ultimately, ‘The Grand Hotel Tartarus’ is an allegory about the ‘diseases’ and addictions of our time, but it is also a story about the power of forgiveness and reconciliation, as well as a cautionary tale about greed and the insatiable desire to fulfill unfulfillable cravings.”

The opera will be directed by Peter Kazaras and choreographed by Nicola Bowie.