Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended
"...The problems are mostly matters of focus, and they present themselves in part because Landau has been so ambitious in her attention to detail. It's fun to see Jon Michael Hill tricked out like Sammy Davis Jr., and, indeed, Ana Kuzmanic's retro costumes pop throughout. But the archetype and truth are never an easy combo, and too much of the iconography of the 1970s sitcom is, for this particularly fragile play, dangerous territory that can't be allowed to take over individual souls."
Chicago Sun Times - Recommended
"...Playwright Lanford Wilson, who died March 24 at the age of 73, did much of his best work during the 1970s — the same decade during which filmmaker Robert Altman made some of his finest movies. And whether it was a conscious decision or not, director Tina Landau seems to have adapted many of that filmmaker’s naturalistic, cinema verite-style techniques for her grand-scale Steppenwolf Theatre revival of Wilson’s ever-popular 1973 play, “The Hot L Baltimore.”"
Chicago Reader - Recommended
"...Landau's take works despite all the heavy-handedness, thanks in part to the fruitful tension she sets up between a haunting, autumnal mood and the cast's ardent, ebullient performances. Landau creates the former by adding a ghost—a fedora-sporting dandy who silently stalks the rooms, reminding us of the hotel in its heyday—and frequent bits of melancholy song sung by cast members. These touches provide some minor-key shading along with intimations of the place's looming destruction."
Examiner - Highly Recommended
"...Landau directs the piece with the musicality of a conductor, orchestrating conversational crescendos and moments of hushed silence with the finesse of a maestro. It’s a bit dazzling and occasionally shocking, listening to dialogue rendered with the nuance of an intense piece of music. But it’s also a joy, despite Hot L Baltimore’s overall tone of exquisite sadness."
Windy City Times - Highly Recommended
"...Wilson's purpose wasn't a dirge for the downtrodden, however, but a hymn to the quintessentially American optimism that spurs its citizens on expeditions filled with hope and fraught with risk—a farm (in an alkaline desert), a private room (in a brothel), a quest (for an apocryphal ancestor). "Nobody's got the conviction to act on their passions," laments the waif who refuses ownership of even a name, but our final image of the Baltimore hotel is of a seen-it-all tart, an abandoned teenage boy and a soon-to-be-jobless desk clerk dancing defiantly to the radio's music. "The bulldozers are barking at the door! They're gonna tear up the dance floor in a minute!" roars the intrepid April, "Turn it up! The important thing is to move!" It is in 2011, as well."
Talkin Broadway - Recommended
"...The Hot L Baltimore has a lot going on among its 14 characters, as people come and go, speak over each other, and interrupt conversations. Director Landau hasn't quite found a rhythm for the script, and that makes it harder to focus on the piece. Further, she's taken a busy play and made it even busier—with the action going on in the rooms upstairs and adding background music that includes vocals that interfere with the dialogue."
Centerstage - Recommended
"...The light musical interludes sprinkled throughout the show add a welcome sense of the unexpected. Even in the final moments of the show it's never clear what will happen next - will someone start a fight, break into song, or just decide to strip naked on the staircase? My feelings about the show are best summed up by one character's response when asked the point of a story she recounts: "I didn't get it at all but I thought it was very amusing.""
Time Out Chicago - Recommended
"...Still, Torem seems deeply connected to her character, as do almost all of these lived-in performances (including touching turns by Jacqueline Williams, James Vincent Meredith, Namir Smallwood and more). It’d be nice if Landau could set down her directorial highlighter, though. In a number of scenes, she underlines a moment by bringing down the lights and ambient sound and putting tight spotlights on the faces of one or two characters. It’s an interestingly theatrical choice, but like Krill’s spectral character, it feels like an odd intrusion of the supernatural into Wilson’s poetic naturalism."
ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended
"...The intimacy and richly textured acting by this committed cast makes for a wonderful theatrical event. You’d be hard pressed to find a more engrossing and empathetic play. Wilson’s poetic language and Landau’s addition of the singing ghost adds spice to the work. The Hot L Baltimore is Steppenwolf at their best! This show is a “must see.”"
Chicago Stage and Screen - Highly Recommended
"...I believe this is what makes Steppenwolf so widely known and respected: powerful ensemble driven productions. “The Hot L Baltimore” is a perfect example of exactly what Steppenwolf is all about; a highly exceptional cast of fourteen mentally connected actors, giving life to this band of hotel residents. In other words, “The Hot L” is a commanding ensemble piece, sparking fire on the stage. Steppenwolf has created a magnificent run-down hotel that you will not be able to take your eyes away from. This complex story driven by colorful characters who reside in a condemned hotel building makes for one excellent theatre production."
Around The Town Chicago - Recommended
"...Part of what makes an ensemble piece a true ensemble piece is all the technical aspects working together as well as the actors. Scott Zielinski’s lighting effects and Rob Milburn and Michael Bodeen’s sound as well as the costumes by Ana Kuzmanic all work perfectly with the set and movement that has been created. The props people( who are not listed in the program) did a great job in assembling the hundreds of pieces that are used to make it all seem real. This is a true ensemble work , from start to finish!"
Chicago Theater Beat - Somewhat Recommended
"...The Hot L Baltimore is one of those plays that has lost its relevance with time. The grit of yesterday is today’s old news. And the concept of a dying America has been portrayed more artfully. Meanwhile, Landau’s heavy-handed treatment isn’t much of a help. At least some redemption can be found in the cast."
