The Hot Wing King

CL Critic Okla Jones, III Recommends: Written and Directed by Katori Hall, The Hot Wing King is a fierce new comedy about the risks and rewards of celebrating who you are. Called “flavorful and bitingly funny” by New York Stage Review, and “a delicious new play to be applauded and savored” by Talkin’ Broadway, this Pulitzer Prize-winning play is making its debut at Alliance Theatre in February, so it’s definitely something you don’t want to miss. The plot focused on Cordell and Memphis’s annual “Hot Wang Festival.” Supported by his beau Dwayne and best friends, the group settles in for a fun night of pre-competition prep. But when a family emergency forces Dwayne’s troubled nephew into the mix, it quickly becomes a recipe for disaster. Suddenly, the first-place trophy isn’t the only thing that Cordell risks losing. — OJ

CL Critic Kevin C. Madigan Recommends: Written and directed by P-Valley creator Katori Hall, the Alliance’s production of The Hot Wing King kicks off this month with a cast featuring Nicco Annan (TV: P-Valley, Off-Broadway: The Hot Wing King) as Big Charles; Bjorn Dupaty (Broadway: Thoughts of a Colored Man) as Cordell; Myles Alexander Evans (Netflix: Teenage Bounty Hunters) as EJ; Armand Fields (TV: The Chi and Queer as Folk) as Isom; Jay Jones (TV: Lovecraft Country, Horizon Theater: Pipeline) as TJ; and Calvin Thompson (Off-Broadway: Couriers and Contrabands, Regional Theatre: The Bluest Eye) as Dwayne. The Pulitzer board called the play 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” and awarded it its Best Drama prize for 2021. “This play is a love letter to my brother and his partner, inspired by their commitment and love,” says Hall in a news release. “This is the Southeast premiere, and I’m over the moon to be working with such an amazing group of artists and collaborators.” She added, “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.” — KCM