Photo Flash: Sneak Peek - GRAND HOTEL Begins Tonight at Southwark Playhouse

Grand Hotel will open for a 6-week season at Southwark Playhouse from tonight 31 July. Press night is Wednesday 5 August. BroadwayWorld has a sneak peek at the company in rehearsal below!

The Grand Hotel in 1928 Berlin is bustling with eccentric and sometimes dubious guests: amongst them a fading prima ballerina being forced to dance again; a fatally ill Jewish bookkeeper who wants to spend his final days living in luxury; a young, handsome, but destitute Baron; a cynical doctor suffering from World War I wounds; an honest businessman going bad as he faces financial ruin and a typist dreaming of Hollywood stardom. Over the course of a weekend, their extraordinary stories interweave with each other and the hotel''s hard-working staff.

Grand Hotel, Book by Luther Davis, Music and Lyrics by George Forrest and Robert Wright, Additional Music and Lyrics by Maury Yeston, premièred on Broadway in 1989, ran for over 1,000 performances and was nominated for 12 Tony Awards, winning five.

The new London production of the acclaimed Broadway musical Grand Hotel, is produced by Danielle Tarento and directed by Thom Southerland, the award-winning tream behind Titanic, Parade and Mack & Mabel.

The 17-strong international cast includes: Christine Grimandi (Elizaveta Grushinskaya); Scott Garnham (Baron Felix Von Gaigern); George Rae (Otto Kringelein); Victoria Serra (Flaemmchen); Philip Rham (Colonel-Doctor Otternschlag); Jacob Chapman (Hermann Preysing); Valerie Cutko (Raffaela); Jonathan Stewart (Erik); James Gant (Rohna/Zinnowitz); Charles Hagerty (Sandor/Chauffeur); and Paul Iveson (Witt). The rest of the cast are: Rhiannon Howys, Jammy Kasongo, Ceili O''Connor, Durone Stokes, Samuel J Weir, Leah West.

Aside from director Thom Southerland, the creative team features: Musical Supervisor Simon Lee, Musical Director Michael Bradley, Choreographer Lee Proud, Set & Costume Designer Lee Newby, Lighting Designer Derek Anderson, Sound Designer Andrew Johnson, and Casting Director Danielle Tarento.

GRAND HOTEL runs at Southwark Playhouse, The Large, 77-85 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BD Friday 31 July - Saturday 5 September. Press night: Wednesday 5 August at 7.30pm. To book - Box Office: 020 7407 0234 | www.southwarkplayhouse.co.uk. Prices: £22.00/£18.00 concessions; all previews £12.00 (31 July - 4 August).