Photos: THE HOT WING KING at the National Theatre

The National Theatre has released first look production photos for the UK premiere of Katori Hall’s  Pulitzer Prize-winning The Hot Wing King. This new comedy is told with the love language of food; about family, Black Masculinity, sexuality and the journey to finding home, in a fiery new production directed by Roy Alexander Weise.

Cast includes Jason Barnett (Agatha Raisin) as Big Charles, Kaireece Denton making his professional stage debut as EJ, Kadiff Kirwan (Slow Horses) as Cornell, Olisa Odele (Big Boys) as Isom, Simon Anthony Rhoden (Hamilton) as Dwayne and Dwane Walcott(Enterprice) as TJ.

It’s summertime in Memphis, Tennessee and the annual Hot Wing Contest is about to roll through. Cordell has his sights set on the crown this year, with the support of his partner Dwayne and friends, Isom and Big Charles. Together, they are The New Wing Order, and they're serving wings worthy of ‘kangs’. 

Cordell's culinary crew are getting ready to fire up his new mouth-watering ‘finna-be first-place’ recipe, when the arrival of an unexpected guest throws some extra heat up in the kitchen on prep night.  

 As the temperature rises and the sauce boils over, it seems a first-place trophy and a grand cash prize aren’t the only things Cordell risks losing. Can he take the heat, or will he have to get out the kitchen? 

Directed by Roy Alexander Weise, set and costume designer by Rajha Shakiry, lighting design by Joshua Pharo, composition by Femi Temowo, sound design by Elena Peña, choreography by DK Fashola, intimacy and fight direction by Bethan Clark, casting by Jacob Sparrow, dramatherapy by Samantha Adams, dialect coaching by Hazel Holder, associate set and costume design by Ruth Hall, Linbury set and costume associate Yimei Zhao and staff director Cory Hippolyte.

Playing in the Dorfman theatre until 14 September, with press night on 18 July.

Photo Credit: Helen Murray

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