Terri and Brian Cody are hoping to sell their ""One Star Hotel"" in the Florida Keys
to the only man who has expressed any interest in buying it
a Mr. Sam Lewis from New York. They are not expecting him for a couple of weeks
and are rather caught off-guard when they receive a phone call informing them that he flew into Miami today
is driving down
and will be arriving this afternoon. Unfortunately
they have so few guests they are afraid that Mr. Lewis will see at once
that the hotel is a bad investment. You can see where this is leading...it is a farce after all...
So
in order to bolster Mr. Lewis's interest
Terri and Brian devise a plan to make the hotel appear busier and more prosperous than it actually is. Their staff will masquerade as paying guests
thereby
giving Mr. Lewis the impression that the hotel is overflowing with loyal customers and vacationers. Their plan has one hitch
their entire staff consists of a maintenance man named Hopkins and a sexy housemaid named Maureen. They plan to tell Mr. Lewis that Mrs. Cody is shopping in Miami
while she plays the role of a wealthy Palm Beach socialite
Mrs. Winthrop-Smythe. Hopkins is to become the Reverend Hopkins
and Maureen is to combine the duties of receptionist
maid and room service. The plot becomes more complicated when the one paying guest they do have
Major Ponsenby
wants to help out. Suddenly
an Arab sheik
Abdul El Hajj
who bears an uncanny resemblance to the Major
checks into the hotel
stating he is a potential buyer. Their scatterbrained maid
Maureen
is totally inept at the job she's been asked to do
and can't seem to remain completely clothed for more than five minutes at a time. It turns out Hopkins has a propensity to drink
and has bottles of booze hidden all over the hotel. And finally
the one other guest they have checking in later today
is Hayley Harrington
a predatory nymphomaniac
affectionately known as ""The Barracuda.""
Into this ""Hotbed"" of intrigue arrives... Samuel Lewis and his wife (or is she?)
Ashley. He is an extremely moral and upstanding businessman and expects nothing less from those around him. She is an extremely attractive woman
and is only interested in getting Mr. Lewis into bed. Brian spends the rest of the play trying very hard to please Mr. Lewis
keep the Major/Abdul under control
and stay out of the way of ""The Barracuda.""
How do the Major
Hopkins and Mr. Lewis end up in the same bed? Why is Ashley always losing her clothes? Where do The Barracuda and Abdul fit into all this? Who really is Abdul El Hajj? When does the real Mrs. Lewis arrive? What more could possibly happen?
Much to the horror and chagrin of Mr. Lewis
the real Mrs. Lewis
who can best be described as ""a humorless old battle-axe""
does show up. In order to hide his relationship with Ashley from her
he bribes Brian with an offer to purchase the hotel
for more than he was asking
only to get another offer from Abdul. But the final twist is yet to come - a show stopping coup-de-theatre
which leaves the audience knowing they've been ""had "" but not knowing how it was done.
""""A hilarious comedy that will leaveFawlty Towerslooking like a tragedy Hotbed Hotelis one of Michael Parker's finest pieces of work."" -Act One
Cardiff
Wales
""Hotbed Hotelpromises life
laughter
and sophisticated fun."" -The Deerfield Beach Observer
Florida
""Hotbed Hotelhas the fundamental ingredients of good entertainment that provide frankly unanticipated comedic results. This play will not disappoint you. In fact
it will leave you feeling entertained
amused
and happy you made the trip."" -The Peak
Vancouver
Canada
By:
Michael Parker Imprint: Samuel French Ltd Country of Publication: United Kingdom Dimensions:
Height: 203mm,
Width: 127mm,
Spine: 6mm
Weight: 109g ISBN:9780573627385 ISBN 10: 057362738X Pages: 104 Publication Date:11 May 2022 Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format:Paperback Publisher's Status: Active
