The Hot Wing King

B-

For the third and final play of her Signature Theatre residency, Katori Hall (Hurt Village, Our Lady of Kibeho) has gone in a surprising direction: she has written a play about six black men in Memphis, of whom four are gay. It’s not often that we get a look at a loving relationship between black gay men and all the more surprising that it took a woman to provide it. The action is set in the cozy home of Dwayne (Korey Jackson; Far from Heaven), manager of a Memphis hotel. His lover Cordell (Toussaint Jeanlouis; but i cd only whisper) and their friends Isom (Sheldon Best; Sugar in Our Wounds) and Big Charles (Nicco Annan) are the other members of the New Wing Order team, who are competing in the annual hot wing contest. Cordell is the genius whose exotic wings recipes the others love to taste. We learn that Cordell is in the process of divorcing his wife who lives in St. Louis with their two college-age sons. He only moved in with Dwayne a few months ago. Big Charles owns the barber shop where Dwayne and Cordell met. I never did figure out how the flamboyant Isom fit into the group. We also meet Dwayne’s brother-in-law TJ (Eric B. Robinson Jr.), a petty crook who is doing a poor job of raising his teenage son EJ (Cecil Blutcher; Showtime Blues) after his wife’s death. Dwayne would like to take EJ in, but Cordell, guilty over abandoning his own sons, doesn’t want to raise someone else’s. Although there are serious moments, humor prevails. I was frustrated that many lines that drew laughs from black members of the audience sailed right by me. The actors work well together, especially in a couple of slapstick scenes. The resolution of the hot wing contest is a bit anticlimactic, but as a group portrait, this lively play succeeds. Michael Canahan’s (Skeleton Crew, The Piano Lesson) set, which consists of a cross-section of Dwayne’s house, looks lived in. Emilio Sosa’s (On Your Feet!, Make Believe) costumes befit their characters. Steve H. Broadnax III’s (Travisville) direction is assured. Running time: two hours 30 minutes including intermission.