| The Hot L Baltimore | |
|---|---|
 Window card for the Gastown Actor's Studio 2001 production | |
| Written by | Lanford Wilson |
| Date premiered | 22 March 1973 |
| Place premiered | Circle in the Square Downtown New York City |
| Original language | English |
| Subject | a manager's struggle to maintain order despite the hotel's destruction |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Setting | The lobby of a seedy run-down hotel in Baltimore |
The Hot L Baltimore is a 1973 American play byLanford Wilson set in the lobby of the Hotel Baltimore. The plot focuses on the residents of the decaying property, who are faced witheviction when the structure is condemned. The play draws its title from the hotel's neon marquee with a burned-out "e" that was never replaced.
The Hot L Baltimore was produced by theCircle Repertory Company on February 4, 1973. It then transferred to theoff-BroadwayCircle in the Square Downtown on March 22, 1973.[1][2] The production closed on January 4, 1976, after 1,166 performances. It was directed byMarshall W. Mason, and the cast included Trish Hawkins,Conchata Ferrell,Judd Hirsch,Jonathan Hogan, andMari Gorman.[3]
The play won theNew York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best American Play of 1972–73, multipleObie Awards (Best American Play, Lanford Wilson; Distinguished Performance, Mari Gorman; Distinguished Direction, Marshall W. Mason),[3][4] the John Gassner Playwriting Award, and anOuter Critics Circle Award.[1]
It was produced at theWilliamstown Theater Festival inWilliamstown, Massachusetts, in July 2000, directed byJoe Mantello, with the cast featuringSam Rockwell, Mandy Siegfried,Lois Smith,Helen Hanft, andBecky Ann Baker.[5] It was then produced by theSteppenwolf Theatre Company inChicago from March through May 2011, directed byTina Landau.[6]
In 1975, producerNorman Lear adapted the play for a half-hourABCsitcom. The cast includedConchata Ferrell,James Cromwell,Richard Masur,Al Freeman Jr.,Gloria LeRoy,Jeannie Linero, andCharlotte Rae. The sitcom had several controversial elements, including two main characters who worked asprostitutes, one of whom was anillegal immigrant, and one of the firstgay couples to be depicted on an American television series. The network supported the show and gave it a full publicity campaign, but the series failed to win an audience and was canceled after 13 episodes.
In 1976, a version of the series, with the titleHôtel Baltimore, was produced for French television. The series, which featuredDora Doll, lasted for a single season.
Mel Gussow, in his review of the 1973 production forThe New York Times, wrote that Wilson "writes with understanding and sensitivity about unwanted people... There are moments in this play... when Wilson - with his passion for idiosyncratic characters, atmospheric details and invented homilies - reminds me of William Saroyan and Thornton Wilder... The play seems to meander... there is little plot or action but there is emotion."[7]
