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When shy Aaron joins the hotel's inharmonious team, he's faced with emotionally volatile guests, apathetic staff and management that doesn't have a clue. Not to mention the rumour of singing ghosts haunting the corridors.
But through all the madness, one voice stands out, capturing his ears and his heart – and Aaron must go into battle with the hotel's magical chaos to find out the truth.
An uplifting ensemble comedy, Isobel McArthur's The Grand Old Opera House Hotel is a story of art bringing us together in hopeless circumstances, to the tune of some of the most popular opera songs ever written. It premiered at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, during the Festival in August 2023, with Dundee Rep Theatre, directed by Gareth Nicholls. It was the recipient of an Edinburgh Fringe First Award.
“A gloriously funny one-off... a remarkably inventive, uproariously witty comedy that springs one audacious surprise after another.”— The Times
“Brilliant... nothing less than a pure and heartfelt boy-meets-girl romantic comedy, inspired by the rapturous power of great music... the sharpest kind of social criticism and wisecracking satire... a wild and sometimes beautiful farce... an absolute joy.”— Scotsman
“Glorious... a gag-filled, head-spinning operatic comedy... an idiosyncratic romp as formally adventurous as it is extravagantly funny.”— Guardian
“Exceptional... wildly original... richly comic and clever... an uproarious show with a vein of melancholy... I really loved it.”— WhatsOnStage
“Completely unpredictable and wonderfully farcical.”— Broadway World
“An ambitious and buoyant love story... a genuine delight.”— Fest Mag
“Joyously theatrical, utterly surreal... There are few people in theatre today who are kookier — or more touched by genius — than Isobel McArthur, the hottest thing in Scottish theatre, and possibly the UK.”— Daily Mail
“Bravo... a barn-storming production... There are twists and turns, serial misunderstandings, comic interludes (one scene has the woman in front of me howling with laughter) and pauses for McArthur to take potshots at everything from management speak to the prevalence of social media... one of the hits of the Fringe.”— The Herald
“Clever and hysterically funny, with McArthur’s signature anarchy and inventiveness.”— Reviews Hub
“The funniest show I’ve seen for years... a hit, a palpable hit!”— Edinburgh Music Review
Isobel McArthur is an actor, writer and musician based in Glasgow. As a writer, her plays include The Grand Old Opera House Hotel (Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, & Dundee Rep, 2023) and Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of), adapted from Jane Austen's novel (Tron Theatre Company and Blood of the Young, 2018; UK tour, 2019; West End, 2021; UK tour, 2023).
Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) won Best Entertainment / Comedy Play at the 2022 Olivier Awards, and McArthur was the winner of the Emerging Talent Award at the 2022 Evening Standard Theatre Awards.