Hotel by Wild Rice (2025) Review: 5-Hour Singapore Epic

In the 2025 revival of Hotel, Wild Rice transforms a single building into a 100-year archive of Singapore’s identity – from colonial port to independent nation. This five-hour epic, running at Wild Rice @ Funan from 14 August to 21 September 2025, sold out so quickly that standing tickets were released at S$60 per performance (Wild Rice). Below, we unpack what the play is about, how it is structured, and whether the length and ambition justify the commitment.

Last checked: 2026-08-19

Production: Hotel by Wild Rice · Theatre Company: Wild Rice Ltd · Genre: Multi-generational epic / historical drama · Duration: Approximately 5 hours · Venue (2025 run): Wild Rice @ Funan, Singapore · Website: wildrice.com.sg

What is Hotel by Wild Rice About?

Set entirely inside a single hotel room, the play follows the occupants and visitors of that room across ten decades. The room’s windows change with the city outside: from a British colonial outpost in 1915 through the Japanese occupation, the post-independence years, and into the globalised 2010s. The script was co-written by Alfian Sa’at and Marcia Vanderstraaten, and the production is directed by Ivan Heng (Wild Rice).

Rather than a linear narrative, Hotel presents a series of vignettes that reflect the same physical space adapting to political and social change. One reviewer on Reddit described the experience as “plenty of LOLs and serious themes – a history lesson that doesn’t feel like one” (Reddit).

How Long is the Play Hotel?

The 2025 run presents Hotel in two parts with a total duration of approximately 5 hours, including intermissions (Wild Rice). The play is longer than most Singapore stage productions. One Reddit user quipped that by the end “my bum was a flat prata” – a humorous but honest warning about the physical endurance required.

Bakchormeeboy’s 2025 review suggests the pacing is “remarkably tight” for a show of this length, with each scene holding its own weight. The two-part format is designed to allow a dinner break between halves, which the venue encourages.

Where is Hotel Playing in 2025?

The 2025 revival was staged at Wild Rice @ Funan (also referred to as The Ngee Ann Kongsi Theatre @ Wild Rice), located at 107 North Bridge Road, Singapore. The run opened on 14 August 2025 and closed on 21 September 2025, a five-week window that was part of Wild Rice’s 25th anniversary season (Wild Rice press release).

Access by public transport: the venue is directly above City Hall MRT station (EW13/NS25), with entrances at the Funan Mall. The theatre is wheelchair-accessible. For international visitors, the venue is a short walk from the Singapore River and the historic Raffles Hotel.

Is Hotel Worth Watching?

Critical reception for the 2025 revival appears uniformly positive. Bakchormeeboy awarded the production 5 out of 5 stars, calling it “a love letter to Singapore’s resilience” (Bakchormeeboy). The Straits Times, in its 2016 review of an earlier run, used the same “five-star experience” language (The Straits Times). Tatler Asia included Hotel in its 2025 preview of “local productions to keep your eyes out for” (Tatler Asia).

Audience demand was high: the production sold out its regular ticket allocation, prompting Wild Rice to release limited standing tickets at S$60 per performance for the final two weeks (9–21 September). The standing tickets themselves sold out quickly (Bakchormeeboy).

What Are the Themes of Hotel?

The play’s central theme appears to be the relationship between personal space and national history. A hotel room, ostensibly a temporary and neutral space, becomes a prism through which empire, migration, and identity are examined. The 100-year timeline (1915–2015) allows the script to touch on the Japanese occupation in the 1940s, the island’s merger with Malaysia in 1963, and the economic transformation of the 1980s and 1990s (Wild Rice).

Jom Media described the play as “prompting questions about how we might sojourn through a national history from a room with a specific view” (Jom Media). The production does not offer easy answers; instead, it presents multiple perspectives on who belongs in Singapore and how the past shapes the present.