Hartford
Fathers, Sons And Chicken Wings At Hartford Stage
by | Mar 1, 2024 3:41 pm
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Posted to: Theater
The Hot Wing King
Hartford Stage
Hartford
Through March 24, 2024
We got an extra day of Black History Month this year, so I celebrated by going to see the premiere of The Hot Wing King, the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Katori Hall.
The Hot Wing King tells the story of Cordell (played by Bjorn DuPaty) and Dwayne (Calvin M. Thompson), a couple in Memphis who are preparing their entry for a hot wing competition. They receive help from their friends Isom (Israel Erron Ford) and Big Charles (Postell Pringle). Cordell’s nephew EJ (Marcus Gladney, Jr.) and his father TJ (Alphonso Walker Jr.) eventually join in on the fun and pathos as well.
The play doesn’t have much in the way of a plot. The only thing that happens is the preparation of chicken wings for a contest. That’s perfectly fine for this kind of play, which focuses its energies on revealing the deep hurt and secrets of the characters. I think that plays are well-suited for this kind of narrative format, as the (usually) unchanging staging puts the momentum and movement of the play onto the actors and the characters they embody.
And the actors do a great job. Israel Ford is a constant scene stealer as Isom; he always injects just the right amount of hilarity into even the most tense scenes. Postell Pringle brings an understated but much-needed energy to the play as Big Charles, the closest thing to a regular person in the play. He anchors the production and prevents it from flying off into the stratosphere at times. Marcus Gladney, Jr. is impressive as EJ, giving the character interiority and curiosity beyond his young years.
The star of the show for me was Alphonso Walker Jr.’s turn as TJ. He’s a drug dealer in a do-rag who’s not exactly a bigot, but in his own words doesn’t “approve” of the lifestyles of the four other men in the play. A character like him could very easily become an eye-rolling caricature. Hall has written a real person on the page; Walker brought him to life with grace, humor and plenty of talent.
My favorite scene came towards the end of the play, when young EJ finally confronts his father about the rough and tumble life of drug dealers that they live.
In that scene, I saw myself and my son. I don’t sell drugs, but I hustle constantly as a freelancer. If I don’t write, I don’t eat. I write at 10 a.m., I write at 6:00 p.m., I write at 3 a.m. I get calls from my son to talk or to play a game together, and I have to tell him I’m working. On a good week, he gets whatever he wants from me financially — but not every week is a good week.
I know what TJ felt when he told Cordell that no one sees EJ as a child. When I go out with my son, he’s constantly mistaken for an adult. I don’t see how anyone can mistake this gangly, goofy kid with someone who is legally responsible for himself, the kid I’ve watched grow for 16 years. I hope that my son can see that everything I do, as imperfect and unstable as it might be, is for him.
Someday he may curse me out the same way that EJ does to his father, and I’ll probably deserve it. My measuring stick for success as a parent has always been four things: my son has enough food, he has a roof over his head, he gets most of the things he wants, and he has different complaints about me than I had about my father. I hope that’s enough, but I guess we’ll see.
The Hot Wing King is well worth your time. It’s funny and moving, and surprises in more than one way. It was a great way to close out Black History Month.
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The Hot Wing King is playing at Hartford Stage through March 24.
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