THESE WINGS ARE FLAMING
IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE

In our divided nation, there are still a few universals that bring us together. Puppies. Mother’s Day. Pizza. And, tagging close behind on the pizza bandwagon: the deep-fried delight known as “chicken wings.” But the folks at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo who first served them up in 1964 certainly couldn’t have foreseen that untold numbers of variations of seasonings, dips, and even marinades that wings would get. At Cygnet Theatre, a contest for the best wings in town is the backdrop for The Hot Wing King, a dramedy that had me choke up between laughs.

Kevin La'marr Coleman, Rondrell McCormick, Xavier Daniels

Katori Hall’s story centers around four tight-knit friends, all of whom are gay and black. They frequently gather at Dwayne’s (Tristan J. Shuler) two-bedroom home in Memphis. Two months prior to the onset of our opening scene, after long-distance dating for five years, Dwayne has finally convinced Cordell (Rondrell McCormick) to move in with him from out of state. Cordell is very happy to be with Dwayne, but utterly frustrated at his own inability to find work and contribute financially. What the man can do, though, is cook. More than cook. He is a self-taught artiste, with an amazing sense for spices, timing, and blending. In particular, his wings are the stuff of legend and, in the absence of work, he is obsessed with winning this local contest. Adding fuel to any flames he can see (or start) is the outrageous Isom (Kevane La’Marr Coleman), queen of any space he enters. Rounding out the group is Big Charles (Xavier Daniels) in whose barber shop the couple met. Though the quietest of the group, he’s no stick-in-the-mud and still waters run deep with Big Charles when it comes to advice.

Dwayne’s hotel manager job constantly interrupts his home life. All Cordell wants is for the four of them to have this one special weekend together making the wings and partying. But that wouldn’t make for enough plot, would it? First monkey wrench: TJ (Carter Piggee), the widowed husband to Dwayne’s late sister, comes around and gives Dwayne money because Dwayne keeps helping out with TJ’s son EJ (Jocorey Mitchell). TJ is no father of the year, and the source of the money is suspect as well, but Dwayne accepts it. This begins a central plot of Dwayne being caught between a sense of obligation to his often-homeless nephew and his promises to Cordell in their budding relationship.

Tristan J Shuler, Rondrell McCormick

Wow, sounds heavy, right? Nah. It gets intense at times, but the show is way more funny than serious. When these four are around each other, the camp level is high, supplemented by their love of old music that leads to a lot of playful dancing around the house. Hall has terrific punch lines throughout, but they fit naturally under Kian Kline-Chilton’s well-paced direction, so they don’t feel like a sitcom line awaiting a laugh track. And they don’t need a laugh track because we’re genuinely laughing at some clever wordplay and outstanding delivery.

Set design by Audrey R. Casteris is noteworthy, with a fully operating stove and sink in the downstairs kitchen and a full upstairs bedroom for several scenes (albeit a challenge for the rather tall Mr. Shuler to get through the less-than-average door height repeatedly).

Rondrell McCormick, Jocorey Mitchell, Tristan J Shuler

There are a couple of issues with this show. There’s no doubt that it’s essential to the show that the six actors are all black and talk in a manner (especially TJ) that reflects their region and background. However,  the result, is that sometimes—especially when they are camping it up or speaking softly—lines get lost. Much like watching a film with foreign accents, you develop an ear for it over the course of the show and miss less. For the first fifteen minutes or so, though, while the speed of line delivery fit the characters, it made the listening extra challenging. In particular, after the scene described with TJ above, I turned to my companion and asked, “Who was that and what did he want?” and he didn’t know either. We figured out from context what happened as the play progressed, but it took us out of the moment, feeling lost.

At 2 hours 45 minutes, it’s also a long show. The beginning is where some editing could help, when it’s more character development than needed. But since it’s scripted that way, one can hardly fault Kline-Chilton for playing it up for all it’s worth. And it’s very enjoyable! It’s just a lot.

Rondrell McCormick, Tristan J Shuler

Newcomer Jocorey Mitchell is going to be one to watch for locally. This was quite a break for the Grossmont Community College student and he brings realistic passion and angst to EJ’s plight. Rondrell McCormick got my heartstrings going in Act I, but it was a quiet, touching moment from Shuler that caught me off-guard toward the end causing a lump in my throat the size of a chicken wing. Coleman is a delightful clown who has no fear of playing too big and we eat it up. Daniels gives a needed sweetness to Big Charles and Piggee rounds out the cast beautifully. In some ways, his role is the trickiest because TJ cannot be what he is not, a hard-edged survivor of some tough streets, but Piggee lets us in just enough to see that he’s not a jerk under it all.

In the end, though, we fall in love with them all. On the way to the car, I said, “I’m not done with them! I already want a sequel to spend more time with them all!” Perhaps, after nearly three hours, that says more than anything else.

Back Row: Xavier Daniels, Kevin La'marr Coleman, Jocorey Mitchell, Carter Piggee
Front Row: Tristan J Shuler, Rondrell McCormick

photos by Karli Cadel Photography

The Hot Wing King
Cygnet Theatre Company
Old Town Theater, 4040 Twiggs St.
Wed & Thurs at 7:30; Fri at 8; Sat at 3 & 8; Sun at 2 & 7
ends on May 2, 2025
for tickets, call 619-337-1525 or visit Cygnet