We’ve been looking forward to Katori Hall’s The Hot Wing King for some time – it picked up the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Drama following its off-Broadway run (which was interrupted by the pandemic); it has now made its UK debut, premiering this week at the National Theatre. It focuses on the close-knit friendship of four black gay men in Memphis, and is set during the run up to the local hot wing competition, which the quartet are keen to win. The stage is set for the four to prepare their food for the festival, though suffice to say the marinade is not the only thing simmering in the kitchen.
We’re initially introduced to Cordell (Kadiff Kirwan) and Dwayne (Simon Anthony-Rhoden), a couple whose relationship is on the rocks, and their friends Big Charles (Jason Barnett) and Isom (Olisa Odele). Over the course of the evening we also meet EJ (Kaireece Denton), Dwayne’s teenage nephew who is looking for a fresh start, and TJ (Dwane Walcott), EJ’s father, who is living a life of petty criminality and steering his young son down the same path.
It’s an intersectional play considering a range of issues, including blackness, queerness and masculinity, which are considered thoughtfully. Over the course of three hours we see their stories unfold: Cordell’s ex-wife still won’t grant him a divorce, his sons hate him for abandoning the family, and he finds himself unemployed in an unfamiliar new city; while Dwayne feels a sense of responsibility to look out for his young nephew, having blamed himself for the death of his sister, EJ’s mother. TJ wants a better relationship with his son but achieving that seems just out of his grasp.
The presentational style of the play is quite unusual – at times it plays out a bit like a sitcom, with characters having entrance music, and a few scenes underscored with background music. Occasionally our actors burst into song (it’s not a musical, but there are a couple of songs in here) or a choreographed dance routine – it’s certainly not a naturalistic theatrical show. It doesn’t sound like it should work, but it does – the variety helps with the relatively lengthy running time, as there’s always something interesting or unexpected just about to happen.
We enjoyed our evening with The Hot Wing King – it’s great to see a story about a close group of black gay friends on the stage: it’s not a narrative we see regularly and we’re very here to see more of it. It considers a range of issues sensitively, and there are plenty of great moments and big laughs along the way. Well worth checking out.
GAY TIMES gives The Hot Wing King – 4/5
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