The Hot L Baltimore is a 1973 American play by Lanford Wilson set in the lobby of the Hotel Baltimore. The plot focuses on the residents of the decaying property, who are faced with eviction 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 play won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best American Play of 1972–73, multiple Obie Awards (Best American Play, Lanford Wilson; Distinguished Performance, Mari Gorman; Distinguished Direction, Marshall W. Mason),[3][4] the John Gassner Playwriting Award, and an Outer Critics Circle Award.[1]
In 1976, a version of the series, with the title Hôtel Baltimore, was produced for French television. The series, which featured Dora Doll, lasted for a single season.
Critical reception
Mel Gussow, in his review of the 1973 production for The 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]