A hotel in Singapore is opened at the turn of the century, when the island is still a jewel in the crown of the British Empire. Each day, new faces appear and swiftly disappear – guests and staff alike.
Every ten years, we check in to meet the hotel’s residents: Indian mutineers, Cantonese nannies, Malay film stars, Japanese soldiers, transsexual sex workers, wedding guests, suspected terrorists, and more. They live out the pivotal moments in their personal lives, as empires die and new ones are born from their ashes.
Even though the chambermaids clean up after them, readying the room for the next guests, traces of the past persist, and time reveals its cyclical nature. Ghosts communicate with the living, doubles are separated by decades, and a single moment of decision haunts the generations that come after.
An immersive, multi-generational epic, HOTEL explores the notions of empire, nationhood, migration and identity against the backdrop of a shrinking world. Spanning a century and performed over close to five hours in nine languages, this groundbreaking theatrical event highlights the eclectic energies born from the collisions between the old and the new, East and West, tradition and modernity.
PRODUCTION HISTORY
An epic odyssey through one hundred years of Singapore’s history, HOTEL made its world premiere at the 2015 Singapore International Festival of Arts. Proclaimed an “instant classic” by The Straits Times, the production won four Straits Times Life! Theatre Awards: Production of the Year, Best Direction, Best Original Script and Best Ensemble.
HOTEL headlined Wild Rice’s Singapore Theatre Festival in 2016, playing to sold-out houses throughout its limited run. In 2017, HOTEL made its international premiere, winning rave reviews at the OzAsia Festival in Adelaide, Australia.
In conjunction with our 25th anniversary, HOTEL – a fully homegrown production that best represents Wild Rice’s ethos as a theatre company – returns to The Ngee Ann Kongsi Theatre following a hugely popular run in 2023 that played to full houses and standing-room audiences.
Duration: Part 1 – approximately 2 hours 45 minutes (including intermission); Part 2 – approximately 2 hours (with no intermission)
Rating: Advisory 16 (Some Mature Content)
Recommended for patrons aged 16 and above
For visitor safety information, click here.
TAKE HOTEL HOME WITH YOU
Hailed as a modern theatrical masterpiece, HOTEL‘s magic begins from its rich, incisive script by Alfian Sa’at and Marcia Vanderstraaten. HOTEL e-book is now available on various platforms.
