Hotel World

The play is set largely in and around a hotel, part of the Global Hotel chain. It tells the story of an accidental death and its impact on others.

The play opens with a dimly-lit scene of two or three people talking around a hole in a wall, below which there is apparently a deep drop. No explanation is given at the time but the same episode is revisited several times later on, when its meaning becomes clear. It is, in fact, the central element within the play.

The play offers glimpses into the lives of five women, a swimmer, her younger sister, a homeless woman, a journalist and a hotel employee. Their lives interact in various ways, indirectly related to the accidental death of one of them. The pace is fast-moving, with the cast rushing around between scenes and changing the sets around as they do it.

Scenes within the play do not necessarily take place in the same sequence as they actually happen. It moves back and forth and revisits the scene of the accident several times, approaching it from different angles. This makes it difficult to follow at first but it is ultimately very powerful and satisfying.

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The Blurb

One hotel. One night. Five characters. Four living, one dead ... Ali Smith's Booker-shortlisted novel, adapted for the stage for the first time, promises a spirited celebration of life and love presented in a fast-moving physical style.

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