''The Hot Wing King'' is a 2020 comedy-drama play by American writer

Katori Hall Katori Hall (born May 10, 1981) is an American playwright, screenwriter, producer, actress, and director from Memphis, Tennessee. Hall's best known works include the hit television series ''P-Valley'', the Tony-nominated '' Tina: The Tina Turner M ...

. The play follows Cordell, his boyfriend, and their friends in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

preparing their culinary entry for the annual "Hot Wang Festival". ''The Hot Wing King'' premiered off-Broadway at Signature Theatre on February 11, 2020, and had a limited run due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hall received the 2021

Pulitzer Prize for Drama The Pulitzer Prize for Drama is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Letters, Drama, and Music. It is one of the original Pulitzers, for the program was inaugurated in 1917 with seven prizes, four of which were a ...

for ''The Hot Wing King.''

Plot

"Ready, set, fry! It's time for the annual "Hot Wang Festival" in Memphis, Tennessee, and Cordell Crutchfield knows he has the wings that’ll make him king. Supported by his beau, Dwayne, and their culinary clique, The New Wing Order, Cordell is marinating and firing up his frying pan in a bid to reclaim the crispy crown."

Cast

* Toussaint Jeanlouis as Cordell * Korey Jackson as Dwayne * Sheldon Best as Isom *

Nicco Annan Nicco Annan is an American actor, dancer, and choreographer. He is best known for his portrayal of Uncle Clifford on the Starz drama series ''P-Valley'', an adaptation of the Katori Hall play ''Pussy Valley'', in which Annan originated the role. ...

as Big Charles * Cecil Blutcher as EJ * Eric B. Robinson Jr. as TJ

Production

The play was directed by Steve H. Broadnax III and written by

. She was inspired to write a play that centered on Black gay men because she wanted to create a story that reflected her brother's life experiences. ''The Hot Wing King'' premiered on February 11, 2020,

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

Pershing Square Signature Center The Pershing Square Signature Center is a complex of three Off-Broadway theatres in the Theatre Row section of West 42nd Street in New York City. It is on the first floors of the 43-floor MiMa Building apartment complex. Pershing Square Signatu ...

in Manhattan. The show's run ended prematurely due to restrictions related to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. Katori Hall directed a production at the

Alliance Theatre The Alliance Theatre is a theater company in Atlanta, Georgia, based at the Alliance Theatre, part of the Robert W. Woodruff Arts Center, and is the winner of the 2007 Regional Theatre Tony Award. The company, originally the Atlanta Municipal T ...

in 2022.

Reception

''The Hot Wing King'' received mixed reception. In a review for the ''New York Times'', Ben Brantley praised "the matter-of-fact depiction of Black gay characters who may be dissatisfied, to varying degrees, with their own behavior but not, ultimately, because of their sexuality" but further stated "the balance between social soap opera and buoyant comedy isn't always gracefully sustained." Similarly, Marilyn Stasio of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' called the plot "meandering" and referred positively to "the extremely likable characters." Robert Hofler of

TheWrap ''TheWrap'' is an American online news website covering the business of entertainment and media via digital, print and live events. It was founded by journalist Sharon Waxman Sharon I. Waxman (born c.1963) is an American author, journalist, ...

called ''The Hot Wing King'' "a raucous comedy" that was also "lopsided." Hall received the 2021

for ''The Hot Wing King''. The citation described the play as "a funny, deeply felt consideration of Black masculinity and how it is perceived, filtered through the experiences of a loving gay couple and their extended family as they prepare for a culinary competition."

References

External links