The Hot Wing King – National Theatre, London

Katori Hall’s tale of manhood and fatherhood in Memphis, Tennessee, The Hot Wing King shows why the kitchen really is the heart of the home.

The Hot Wing King

Is it actually compulsory for every work at the National Theatre to be three hours long (give or take)? At two hours and forty-five minutes, The Hot Wing King fits right in. Or has fitted itself in – apparently this production is longer than other stagings so far. But, like The Grapes of Wrath, which we saw here recently, there isn’t that much I would want to trim from it in order to make it a shorter evening at the theatre.

Katori Hall won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2021 for The Hot Wing King. The pandemic cut short its off-Broadway debut in 2020. It’s set in her home town of Memphis, where Cordell (Kadiff Kirwan) is preparing for the annual Hot Wing contest. Mouths water in the audience as Cordell not only describes his recipes (Lemon Pepper wet, Lemon Pepper dry, Blueberry Birds, Hot-Hot, Hottt!, Parmesan and Spicy Cajun Alfredo with Bourbon Infused Crumbled Bacon), but cooks some on stage [Edit: or not? This post suggests it may all be stage wizardry!]. Oh to be part of the New Wing Order, made up of Cordell’s partner Dwayne (Simon-Anthony Rhoden), and friends Big Charles (Jason Barnett) and Isom (Olisa Odele). Rounding out the six-strong cast are Dwayne’s nephew Everett ‘EJ’ (Kaireece Denton) and EJ’s father TJ (Dwayne Walcott).

The cooking is of course but a backdrop, sometimes an analogy, for the real drama. For Cordell, cooking is a hobby and also a way to feel valued. He’s struggled to find work since separating from his wife and moving to Memphis to be with Dwayne. These tensions, and many more, simmer and boil over as the hot wing contest approaches. By the end of the three hours (which to be fair didn’t feel that long) I felt emotionally wrung out. In a good way. I also felt a little peckish: half a dozen wings would really have hit the spot.

Balancing the Flavours

Although The Hot Wing King really wasn’t at all what I was expecting (the National Theatre website makes it sound more of a fluffy comedy than it is), I very much enjoyed it. And it was just those unexpected twists and turns, in both writing and direction, which make this play a pleasure.

Let’s start with the writing. I find The Hot Wing King to be a very well-structured play. In constrast to The Grapes of Wrath, which is unrelenting misery – and therefore rather flat – through the first half, this time there are real shifts. You tumble out into the interval on a very heavy note, it’s true. But then a return of the play’s warm and energetic comedy perks you right up after the break. I felt Hall was guiding me somewhere important, and I was along for the ride.

The direction, by Roy Alexander Weise, wasn’t quite what I expected either. I was a little dubious in the beginning on hearing sitcom-style scene change music. But it works. These are characters who are larger than life in many ways. Dialling both the comedy and the drama up to a heightened reality draws the audience in and reminds us how high the stakes are.

I was also very impressed at the quality of the acting. Accents on point, great audience connection, and some very emotional scenes delivered with great skill. Well, I say accents on point: I was not quite sure what the reason was for the slow and strongly-accented delivery style of Kaireece Denton as troubled nephew EJ. But there is no doubting his talent, particularly in a powerful monologue whose content I won’t spoil.

Overall, in my opinion, The Hot Wing King deserves more notice than it seems to be getting. It is an insightful and sometimes searing look at different ways to be a man (particularly a gay, Black man), father and role model. Just like a good hot wing, the love emanating from the stage will continue to warm audiences long after they leave the theatre.

Salterton Arts Review’s rating: 4/5

The Hot Wing King on until 14 September 2024