"The Hot l Baltimore"

"The Hot l Baltimore": Lanford Wilson's Slice-of-Life Dramedy

Born in the Heartland, playwright Lanford Wilson wrote sharply funny, slice-of-life dramas that explore forgotten people living on the margin, his discontent with the United States and sexual identity. "The Hot l Baltimore" at the Long Beach Playhouse MainStage is a neat collection of those issues -- set in the lobby of the Hotel Baltimore, it focuses on the residents of a run-down hotel. As the hotel is soon to be condemned, these societal outcasts find themselves on the cusp of eviction and facing an even more uncertain future. Soon, it becomes clear all of them are searching for a missing part of themselves, symbolized by the burnt-out neon sign that gives this masterful play its title.