THE HOT L BALTIMORE A CLOSER LOOK
Innovative, thought-provoking theatre that sparks conversation. Use this outline to frame a dialogue with your group even before arriving at the theatre.
THE HOT L BALTIMORE BY LANFORD WILSON
CHARACTERS THE RESIDENTS
Millie–A retired waitress. Sixty-eight, with good carriage and a lovely voice. Elegance marred by an egocentric spiritualism. The Girl–A call girl, nineteen. Maddeningly curious; a romantic enthusiasm and a youthful ebullience, which is perhaps unconsciously exaggerated for its appeal in her trade.
ABOUT THE PLAY The Hotel Baltimore used to be the swankiest place in town−now it has a date with the wrecking ball. Eviction notices just went out to its residents, who live on the fringes of society and call the seedy hotel home. This acclaimed play from the author of Balm in Gilead is filled with everyday humanity−unexpectedly intimate and moving. Helmed by visionary director Tina Landau, The Hot L Baltimore reveals the private lives of an unconventional community about to be turned inside out.
April Green–A prostitute. Over thirty. A large and soft pragmatist with a mellow alto laugh and a beautiful face. Suzy–A prostitute, thirty. She is hopelessly romantic and hard as nails. Jackie–Twenty-four. Jeans, boots, her name written on the back of her denim jacket. Her manner, voice, and stance are those of a young stevedore. To her humiliation, she is, under the manner, both femininely vulnerable and pretty.
CHARACTERS THE PEOPLE
Mr. Katz–The hotel manager. Thirty-five. Firm and wary and at times more than a little weary. In an inexpensive suit.
Jamie–Jackie’s brother. Small, and wiry. A little slow (one suspects browbeaten). Alert but not quick. Always listening to his sister. Nineteen.
Mrs. Oxenham–The day desk clerk-phone operator. Forty-five and firm; quick-speaking with no commerce. Bill Lewis–The night clerk. Thirty. He covers his difficulty in communicating his feelings for the Girl with a kind of clumsy, friendly bluster. Paul Granger III–A student. Twenty. His tenor voice is constrained by anxiety and speaks and moves sporadically. Clear, lightly tanned complexion. Mrs. Bellotti–The mother of a former tenant. Fifty-five. Round and thin-voiced; complains to get her way, she is a whining fighter. Neatly but not expensively dressed.
Mr. Morse–Seventy, craggy, with a high, cracking voice. Morse moves slowly, with great energy and a sense of outrage.
John/ Taxi Driver/ Delivery Boy
LOCATION
Lobby of the Hotel Baltimore
TIME
Memorial Day weekend, 1973
THEMES, DISCUSSION QUESTIONS AND ADDITIONAL RESOURCES I.
Residential Hotel Living: The Invisible Occupants In The Hot L Baltimore, the characters call the historic Hotel Baltimore home. Hotel living in the 1970s was a necessity for a group of people living on the fringes of society. Hotels provided more than a place to sleep; they gave community to these transient individuals who otherwise were on their own. Lanford Wilson uses a wide range of characters in The Hot L Baltimore to create the collective voice of the hotel. Their shared and disparate perspectives bring this building to life.
The Hot L Baltimore, 2011
In Living Downtown: the History of Residential Hotels in the United States, author Paul Groth details the history of the wide-spread destruction of residential hotels in the 1960s and 1970s—why it happened and how tenants responded. Groth describes the daily life in the golden age of residential hotels providing keen insight into the varied living arrangements for its disparate inhabitants. For Discussion: Effects of Transient Lifestyle–What are the risks and benefits for people living in a non-traditional housing community? A Community Exposed–Are there societal perceptions of hotel living? Discuss the intersection between hotel life and the sex trade. Unconventional Life–How does one navigate his or her public/private identity when personal boundaries are only separated by a thin wall? After the play: Describe the bonds that have formed among both the inhabitants and the employees of the Hotel Baltimore. What do you think has helped forge these relationships? Additional Resources: Groth, Paul. Living Downtown: the History of Residential Hotels in the United States. Univ Of Calif, 1999. Print.
The Hot L Baltimore, 2011
THEMES, DISCUSSION QUESTIONS AND ADDITIONAL RESOURCES II. American Cities: A Changing Landscape American cities went through a fundamental period of change during the mid-to late 20th century; downtown areas became neglected as their population started to migrate to the newly created suburbs. At the same time, the urban sprawl movement was ignited as transportation improved and business districts moved outward from city centers. Residents of The Hotel Baltimore lived through this migratory shift and witnessed first-hand the decay of their city. Their mutual resistance to adapt to these changes was in direct contrast to the greater society. As the decay of cities started to show, housing and lifestyles of the poor were illuminated. In Social Changes in Urban America, authors Max Birnbaum and John Mogey describe what it was like during the time period for these marginalized individuals and the psychological effects this transition brought with it.
III. Urban Renewal: The 1970s The 1970s ushered an end to the free spirit of the 1960s, putting Americans on edge as a cascade of events shook the country. The Watergate scandal was beginning to unfold, artist Andy Warhol introduced America to pop art and the Vietnam War was in its final years. As these events materialized at home and beyond, Congress was at work establishing urban redevelopment programs aimed at revitalizing decaying cities; urban renewal was in full effect. Set during this pivotal time period, the Hotel Baltimore is directly impacted by these government initiated revitalization projects—its residents just received notice of the impending demolition and the future of their communal existence is unknown. In Rebuilding Urban Neighborhoods: Achievements, Opportunities and Limits, authors Keating and Krumholz examine efforts the U.S. Government undertook in rebuilding American cities, and look at legislation Congress enacted as it established an urban redevelopment program.
For Discussion: Change and Growth–Discuss the fluctuating landscape of the American city in the 1970s and what affect urban sprawl and growth had on city centers.
For Discussion: War Abroad–How did the Vietnam War play a role in shaping the attitudes of Americans during the 1970s?
Decay of a Dream–How were the lives of city residents who lived in poverty or were homeless affected by the urban deterioration?
Urban Redevelopment–What pieces of congressional legislation were passed during this time that directly affected the renewal of city centers?
Urban Housing–What role did government housing have on the lives of these individuals and how did this change the metropolitan landscape?
Country in Transition–Outside of the war, discuss the significant events that occurred in the 1970s and how these shape a transitioning country.
After the play: Discuss what effect the change in American cities at this time had on the residents and workers of the Hotel Baltimore. How were their experiences unique? Similar?
After the play: Where do you foresee the occupants of the Hotel Baltimore residing after the demolition? Will they maintain the sense of the community they’ve previously established or do you think they’ll live independently from this point forward?
Additional Resources: Birnbaum, Max, and John Mogey. Social Change in Urban America. New York City: Harper and Row, 1972. Print. “Urbanization of America.” TheUSAonline.com: Information about the United States of America. Web. <http://www.theusaonline.com/people/urbanization.htm>
Additional Resources: Killen, Andreas. 1973 Nervous Breakdown: Watergate, Warhol, and the Birth of Post-sixties America. New York: Bloomsbury, 2006. Print. Keating, William Dennis, and Norman Krumholz. Rebuilding Urban Neighborhoods: Achievements, Opportunities, and Limits. Thousand Oaks (Calif.): Sage Publ., 1999. Print.
The Hot L Baltimore takes place at a pivotal point in American history. Follow the events leading up to Memorial Day 1973.