THEATER REVIEW : Life in a Dead-End Retreat : Those looking for a conventionally structured drama in ‘Hot l Baltimore’ will be disappointed, or at least surprised.

Once a luxurious temporary address for those on the move, the Baltimore is now a residential hotel occupied by pensioners, prostitutes and the detritus of big-city life. About to close the property permanently, the parent corporation sees no reason to repair the electric sign that once beckoned travelers; today the flotsam and jetsam of society drift into the “Hot l Baltimore.”

Playwright Lanford Wilson’s 1973 recounting of a couple days in the life of the dead-end trackside Maryland retreat played for a then-record 1,166 performances off-Broadway and won an Obie award. It’s playing for the next few weekends at the Plaza Players Theater in Ventura, with a strong cast under the direction of Gerald Castillo.

Those looking for a conventionally structured drama with a beginning, middle and end will be disappointed, or at least surprised: This play is a slice taken out of a continuum. Characters drift in and out, questions remain unresolved, and not even a suggestion of plot appears until the second of Wilson’s three acts. Some might find this maddening; others, refreshingly life-like.

Alan Price plays Bill, the hotel’s night manager, reporting to manager Mr. Katz (Hugh McManigal). Millie (Dorothy Scott) and Mr. Morse (John Masterson) are retired on what seems to be a minimal income; he’s feisty and hard-of-hearing, while she keeps mainly to herself.

The younger, female residents are all hookers: Suzy (Judy Walters), bawdy April (Linda Lacey) and the flighty--in the ‘70s she’d be termed kookie--girl who keeps changing her name (Diamera Bach). Tomboyish Jackie (Zoe Pietrycha) and her younger brother Jamie (David Steel) appear to be transients, and what of that man (James Leslie) asleep on a chair in the lobby and the woman (Cindy Swager) who’s looking for her son?

What, indeed. Each has moments in the spotlight, with many on the verge of crisis. For this to work, the audience has to be interested in the characters--maybe even imagine living among them--but not so involved as to be disappointed when (for instance) that woman never finds her son, and wanders off into the night.

Ultimately, and despite its virtues, “Hot l Baltimore” may be more interesting as an exercise for actors than an example of good theater.

Details

* WHAT: The Hot l Baltimore

* WHEN: Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights at 8 p.m., through June 11.

* WHERE: Plaza Players Theater, 34 N. Palm St. (in the Livery Arts Center), Ventura.

* HOW MUCH: $10 all performances; Two for $10 on Wednesdays, though individual Wednesday night tickets are evidently still $10; maybe you can pair up in the courtyard.

* FYI: Note new price schedule. For reservations or further information, call 643-9460.