Don’t Sit So Close to the TV: The Hot Wing King Review

Postell Pringle, Calvin M. Thompson, Marcus Gladney Jr., Israel Erron Ford, and Bjorn DuPaty in The Hot Wing King (2024). Photo by T. Charles Erickson.

Representation matters in all things and we all want choices—chief among those options is the desire to choose who and where we call home. Hartford Stage transforms into a house on a journey to becoming a home for the characters of The Hot Wing King. This play, written by Katori Hall and directed by Christopher D. Betts explores themes of Black masculinity, love, identity and home in a heart-warming and comical production that ushers audiences through every emotion from frustration to joy. Hall asks us to set down our ideals and beliefs of what home and love should look like to see the humanity in a twice-marginalized group of people. If you focus enough on the heart of the characters, you might be able to find yourself in their shoes.

Cordell (Bjorn DuPaty) leaves his home state for love and is working towards creating a life with Dwayne (Calvin M. Thompson) while simultaneously working towards his passion—The New Wing Order. Dwayne’s house is infiltrated by his and Cordell’s friends, Isom (Israel Erron Ford), and Big Charles (Postell Pringle), to prepare to compete for glory in Memphis’s Hot Wang Festival. Dwayne’s nephew Everett (Marcus Gladney Jr.), and his father TJ (Alphonso Walker Jr.) also show up, turning the wing gang’s weekend plans on their side, and serving as catalysts for truths to be revealed and difficult conversations to be had.

Each character represents a different picture of manhood. DuPaty embodies the question of gender identity, grappling with the consequences of his decisions and silently bearing the weight of the rift between his past and present lives. Ford is a fireball of chaotic energy and comedic timing. His depiction of the ‘pot stirrer,’ serves as the oops that compellingly pushes the buttons of each character as well as the plot. Ford is a buoyant depiction of gender fluidity and the personification of *ba dum tss*. Gladney is the picture of the crossroad between naïveté and hard earned lessons. His characterization of EJ highlights the nuances of young men who tumultuously come of age, packaging his upbringing, his losses, his mistakes, and the heart of someone who just wants choices into beautiful moments of candor. Pringle represents the man whose sexuality wouldn’t be questioned by the look of him. His demeanor, his southern drawl, and culturally relevant vocation are as manly as one can get.

Thompson gives Dwayne heart and depth, with a layer of stoicism that crumbles under the weight of grief, fear, and the responsibility he carries. He’s a picture of the dutiful man. That picture gives way to the image of uncertainty that resonates with us all. Walker’s portrayal of TJ is on par with the masculine presentation of Big Charles, but with a cultural hardness that serves as a deterrent for the very human emotions that society has evicted from the desired expressions of manhood. Walker’s walk and talk are big and bad, giving TJ an air of aggression while leaving room for the influence of his son’s desires to infiltrate his perspective.

Jahise LeBouef’s costume design adds a layer to the core identity of each character from Big Charles’ NBA patched jean shorts, jersey, and fitted cap to Isom’s lime green ruched pants, pink and white letterman jacket, and heeled All-Star boots. Each element of the character’s wardrobe highlights not only their sense of style, but also their circumstance, like EJ’s mismatched t-shirt and shorts denoting the helter-skelter nature of his life. The costume design also adds to the Black and southern cultural authenticity of the characters.

Emma Finckel’s set design is well-developed, thoughtful and stands adjacent to the costume design and characterization of a meticulous and tidy Dwayne. The set adds another layer to the conversation of how home looks in the care of men. The lighting and sound design of Adam Honoré and Kathy Ruvuna work in conjunction with all of the other technical events to deliver a stunning production.

This production does a phenomenal job of taking the stock images of character types that we’ve become used to through the media and deconstructs our perception, bringing us back to the core of what we all are—human. The Hot Wing King runs through to March 24, 2024 at Hartford Stage. For tickets, visit https://www.HartfordStage.org.