The Hot Wing King
The Hot Wing King | |
---|---|
Written by | Katori Hall |
Date premiered | February 11, 2020 (2020-02-11), Signature Theatre Company |
Place premiered | Manhattan, New York, New York |
Subject | Black masculinity, family, relationships |
Genre | Comedy-drama |
Setting | Memphis, Tennessee |
The Hot Wing King is a 2020 American comedy-drama play by writer Katori Hall. The play follows Cordell, his boyfriend, and their friends in Memphis, Tennessee 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 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."[1]
Cast
- Toussaint Jeanlouis as Cordell
- Korey Jackson as Dwayne
- Sheldon Best as Isom
- Nicco Annan 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 Katori Hall.[3] 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.[4] The Hot Wing King premiered on February 11, 2020, off-Broadway at Pershing Square Signature Center in Manhattan.[5] The show's run ended prematurely due to restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic.[6] Katori Hall directed a production at the Alliance Theatre 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."[3] Similarly, Marilyn Stasio of Variety called the plot "meandering" and referred positively to "the extremely likable characters."[2] Robert Hofler of TheWrap called The Hot Wing King "a raucous comedy" that was also "lopsided."[7]
Hall received the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for The Hot Wing King.[8] 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."[9]
See also
- Culture of Tennessee
References
- ^ "The Hot Wing King by Katori Hall at Signature Theatre in NYC". Signature Theatre. 2020-08-12. Archived from the original on 2020-08-12. Retrieved 2021-09-06.
- ^ a b Stasio, Marilyn (2020-03-02). "'The Hot Wing King': Theater Review". Variety. Retrieved 2021-09-06.
- ^ a b Jacobs, Julia (June 11, 2021). "Katori Hall Wins Drama Pulitzer for 'The Hot Wing King'". The New York Times. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
- ^ Soloski, Alexis (2021-07-05). "Pulitzer winner Katori Hall: 'I think of theatre as a church. It's a sanctuary'". the Guardian. Retrieved 2021-09-06.
- ^ Brantley, Ben (2020-03-02). "Review: In 'The Hot Wing King,' a New Recipe for a Family". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-09-06.
- ^ "Memphis native Katori Hall wins 2021 Pulitzer Prize for drama for "The Hot Wing King"". localmemphis.com. 2021-06-11. Retrieved 2021-09-06.
- ^ Hofler, Robert (2020-03-02). "'The Hot Wing King' Theater Review: Katori Hall Blends Sticky Schmaltz With Spicy Sauce". TheWrap. Retrieved 2021-09-06.
- ^ Evans, Greg (June 11, 2021). "Katori Hall's ;The Hot Wing King' Wins 2021 Pulitzer Prize For Drama". Deadline. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
- ^ "The Hot Wing King, by Katori Hall". www.pulitzer.org. Retrieved 2021-09-06.
External links
- The Hot Wing King on SignatureTheatre.org
- v
- t
- e
- Why Marry? (1918)
- Beyond the Horizon (1920)
- Miss Lulu Bett (1921)
- Anna Christie (1922)
- Icebound (1923)
- Hell-Bent Fer Heaven (1924)
- They Knew What They Wanted (1925)
- Craig's Wife (1926)
- In Abraham's Bosom (1927)
- Strange Interlude (1928)
- Street Scene (1929)
- The Green Pastures (1930)
- Alison's House (1931)
- Of Thee I Sing (1932)
- Both Your Houses (1933)
- Men in White (1934)
- The Old Maid (1935)
- Idiot's Delight (1936)
- You Can't Take It with You (1937)
- Our Town (1938)
- Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1939)
- The Time of Your Life (1940)
- There Shall Be No Night (1941)
- The Skin of Our Teeth (1943)
- Harvey (1945)
- State of the Union (1946)
- A Streetcar Named Desire (1948)
- Death of a Salesman (1949)
- South Pacific (1950)
- The Shrike (1952)
- Picnic (1953)
- The Teahouse of the August Moon (1954)
- Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1955)
- The Diary of Anne Frank (1956)
- Long Day's Journey into Night (1957)
- Look Homeward, Angel (1958)
- J.B. (1959)
- Fiorello! (1960)
- All the Way Home (1961)
- How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1962)
- The Subject Was Roses (1965)
- A Delicate Balance (1967)
- The Great White Hope (1969)
- No Place to Be Somebody (1970)
- The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (1971)
- That Championship Season (1973)
- Seascape (1975)
- A Chorus Line (1976)
- The Shadow Box (1977)
- The Gin Game (1978)
- Buried Child (1979)
- Talley's Folly (1980)
- Crimes of the Heart (1981)
- A Soldier's Play (1982)
- 'night, Mother (1983)
- Glengarry Glen Ross (1984)
- Sunday in the Park with George (1985)
- Fences (1987)
- Driving Miss Daisy (1988)
- The Heidi Chronicles (1989)
- The Piano Lesson (1990)
- Lost in Yonkers (1991)
- The Kentucky Cycle (1992)
- Angels in America: Millennium Approaches (1993)
- Three Tall Women (1994)
- The Young Man from Atlanta (1995)
- Rent (1996)
- How I Learned to Drive (1998)
- Wit (1999)
- Dinner with Friends (2000)
- Proof (2001)
- Topdog/Underdog (2002)
- Anna in the Tropics (2003)
- I Am My Own Wife (2004)
- Doubt: A Parable (2005)
- Rabbit Hole (2007)
- August: Osage County (2008)
- Ruined (2009)
- Next to Normal (2010)
- Clybourne Park (2011)
- Water by the Spoonful (2012)
- Disgraced (2013)
- The Flick (2014)
- Between Riverside and Crazy (2015)
- Hamilton (2016)
- Sweat (2017)
- Cost of Living (2018)
- Fairview (2019)
- A Strange Loop (2020)
- The Hot Wing King (2021)
- Fat Ham (2022)
- English (2023)
- Primary Trust (2024)