Review: THE HOT WING KING Reigns at Alliance

If you missed the Alliance Theatre's THE HOT WING KING, you missed a once-in-a-lifetime regional premiere of a play the Pulitzer board described as a "deeply felt consideration of Black masculinity and how it is perceived filtered through the experiences of a loving gay couple and their extended family." Written and directed by P-Valley creator, Katori Hall, this production was Hall's first time directing their 2021 Pulitzer Prize-winning play for drama. Kicking off the second half of the Alliance's 2022-2023 season, THE HOT WING KING ran on The Coca-Cola Stage until March 5, 2023.

THE HOT WING KING takes place in a single day. From the first hot wing tasting to the return from the "Hot Wang Festival," Cordell, supported by his partner and new besties, the fry crew "The New Wing Order," settle in for a night of pre-festival prep. They season, they stir, they sing, they serve a lot of story. A family emergency brings Dwayne's nephew and his difficult father to the table, and like many household kitchens, cooking together becomes a useful event to keep the family bonded as things appear to be pulling apart. Spoiler: everyone wins in the end.

The cast featured Nicco Annan, reprising the role of Big Charles (which he originated Off-Broadway,) Bjorn DuPaty as Cordell, Myles Alexander Evans as EJ, Armand Fields as Isom, Jay Jones as TJ, and Calvin Thompson as Dwayne. Understudies for the production included Jontavious Johnson, VonDerrick Taylor, Barry Westmoreland, and Markell Williams. Highlights included a worldly and wise monologue from EJ, expertly timed and delivered in the middle of a backyard basketball court that serves well a trial on America. The build up of extreme tension from relentless, worrisome action is released in an explosion of truths out of the mouth of the youngest babe in the cast-the one who's shoulders we know will bear the labor of all that's come before.

The set beautifully translates success and joy and a happiness as fashionable as any showroom. And house itself moves off stage left, at the peak of the play. Exposing the basketball court for the communal judgement and release-gliding heavy and smooth, like a mobile home rolling back to show the fault lines on which it's parked. (These are the design moments playwrights dream about.) The design crew includes exceptional and detailed work by Tony-nominated Costume Designer Dede Ayite, Tony-nominated Set Designer Michael Carnahan, Sound Designer Connor Wang, and Lighting Designer Mike Wood.

Hall has said, "This play is a love letter to my brother and his partner, inspired by their commitment and love. It's a story of Black joy and Black love and the risks and rewards of being your true self, and I'm so ready to share it with Atlanta audiences."

If you find yourself with the opportunity to experience this work, either by reading it or watching it-do not hesitate. Pulitzer awarded work isn't always so universal and visceral and so much more than meets the story.

Photo by Greg Mooney