Dorfman theatre, London
This Pulitzer-winning play delicately explores issues of race, sexuality and masculinity with humour as the main ingredient
A group of Black American men have convened to compete for the trophy in a hot wing (or rather “hot wang”) cooking competition in Memphis, Tennessee. Cordell (Kadiff Kirwan) is the chef, albeit out of work, having left a marriage to move in with his partner, Dwayne (Simon-Anthony Rhoden). Their friends, barber Big Charles (Jason Barnett) and super-camp Isom (Olisa Odele), float around the couple’s story.
It is rare to see a group of gay Black men on stage, as tight as family, expressing their sexuality freely and passionately. Katori Hall’s play, which won a Pulitzer prize in 2021, deals delicately in intersectional issues of race, masculinity, homophobia and fatherhood, leading with humour, Black joy and relationship drama – in that order.