THE HOT WING KING
Image credit: Helen Murray
If you’re looking for a play with a hearty dosage of Black love, a much needed exploration of Black masculinity and queerness all mixed in with the drama of family ties and the long beaten path to success; Katori Hall’s Pulitzer Prize winning The Hot Wing King, is for you.
Memphis has a new king in town. While your typical king may live in a palace, this play begins in a home that Cordell (Kadiff Kirwan) moved into after divorcing his wife. This home belongs to his boyfriend Dwayne (Simon-Anthony Rhoden) and is a place of comfort for their friends Big Charles (Jason Barnett) and Isom (Olisa Odele).
We meet the ensemble the day before Memphis’ most popular chicken wing competition. With five thousand dollars on the line, and Cordell hoping to find some semblance of achievement within the coveted crown, the heat is rising and the pressure is on.
As each member of the crew is assigned to their station, stirring, seasoning, slicing and dicing, Dwayne announces that he has to run an errand, much to Cordell’s dismay. In Dwayne’s absence we meet TJ (Dwane Walcott), who slides Cordell some money he’s made to give to his son, Dwayne’s nephew, EJ (Kaireece Denton).
Dwayne returns with more than Cordell could have imagined - his nephew EJ and the looming prospect of him staying in their home for longer than one night.
With EJ’s arrival we see the threads of Dwayne and Cordell’s relationship loosen. EJ wants to prove his worthiness, Dwayne wants to honour his late sister by giving EJ a home and Cordell is doing all he can to turn away from a world of pain - it’s a hotter night in the kitchen than the group expected.
We follow the posse as they deal with grief, guilt, a ruined chicken wing marinade, a relationship on the brink and chinks in familiar armour. The entire cast gave stellar individual performances but their power as an ensemble cannot be underestimated. Hall’s sitcom-like writing style was brought to life with humour, cheer, sorrow and affection all while providing a beautiful and honest exploration of the themes at hand.
The set, masterfully designed by Rajha Shakiry provided the perfect setting for this story to unfold. A kitchen that looked as perfect as an IKEA showroom, with pieces of Black art on the walls, a piano to join them in song and a revolving table top which aided them in scenes of melody and movement.
Movement Director, DK Fashola stuns with her direction of the cast - bringing out their dynamism, cementing their cohesion as a group and enhancing our understanding of the characters, beyond the limitations of dialogue.
Katori Hall’s writing provides a long awaited, sincere yet spunky exploration of Black masculinity, queerness and love all while gracefully weaving in themes of police brutality, loneliness, loss and ambition. There were certainly no flies on the Director, Roy Alexander Wise, during the creative process of the show as the entire audience were glued to their seats for the nearly three hour hot wing extravaganza.
The Hot Wing King is an absolute triumph. Themes that have the potential to be unbearably heavy for a show of this length are handled with tact, ingenuity, unending creativity and enough Black love to make you shed a tear.
Hot Wing King is running at The National Theatre until September 14th.
By Jojo Dixon
★★★★★
