Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Arifa Akbar

Small Hotel review – Ralph Fiennes’ fever dream leaves you with major reservations

Rosalind Eleazar and Ralph Fiennes in Small Hotel.
Steaming up again … Rosalind Eleazar and Ralph Fiennes in Small Hotel. Photograph: Marc Brenner

Small Hotel is a play that defies category, or even explanation. This might be a work of outlandish genius, or a devised end of year A-level project featuring world-class actors (led by Ralph Fiennes and Francesca Annis). It is very funny, although perhaps it doesn’t always mean to be, and well acted, despite the ropey material.

Written by Rebecca Lenkiewicz, the story – more a fever dream – is of a fading TV show host, Larry (Fiennes), stranded in a liminal space with a luminous bar and a Liverpudlian waiter with an eye-patch (Rachel Tucker). His life seems to be flashing before him, or rather circling around him, on Bob Crowley’s stage revolve.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.