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Pulitzer Prize winner Katori Hall brings 'The Hot Wing King' to Atlanta

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Published  February 10, 2023 11:06am EST
Good Day Atlanta
FOX 5 Atlanta

Katori Hall talks directing 'The Hot Wing King' in Atlanta

For the first time ever, playwright Katori Hall is directing her Pulitzer Prize-winning play 'The Hot Wing King' and she's putting the play on at Atlanta's Alliance Theatre.

ATLANTA - Katori Hall’s "The Hot Wing King" premiered off-Broadway in 2020 — and it hasn’t cooled down since.

The comedy-drama won acclaim from audiences and critics, and went on to win the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Now, it’s hitting the Alliance Theatre stage in Atlanta, directed for the first time by its own writer.

"We got the call from the Alliance, ‘Oh, we want to do ’The Hot Wing King.' And I was just like, 'What about me ... as director?’" Hall laughs. "And they were like, 'Wait a minute, that might be a really good idea!’"

Hall has become one of the most important voices in the American theater, thanks to works like "The Mountaintop" and her Tony-nominated book for "Tina: The Tina Turner Musical;" she also created the hit Starz series "P-Valley." But Hall says "The Hot Wing King" is an especially personal project.

"What's so amazing is that this is based on my brother and his partner," says the writer. "And so, I have kind of been writing ‘The Hot Wing King’ all my life, in that I have been able to witness his struggle, witness the cultivation of their love and their relationship."

And her brother’s reaction to seeing the play? Tears.

Writer-director Katori Hall on her Tina Turner musical

Katori Hall is directing her own award-winning play in Atlanta and soon, another one of her writing projects will come to town - one that's 'simply the best.' Paul Milliken sat down with the writer-director to talk about putting the legendary Tina Turner's life on stage.

"You know, it's a struggle for Black folks, especially queer Black folks to see themselves, whether it's on the stage or on the screen. And to be given this opportunity to literally see a version of yourself, it was like a mirror. And it's beautiful to be reflected in the mirror that is American theater."

Performances of "The Hot Wing King" begin tonight and run through March 5 on the Coca-Cola Stage at Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre. For more information on the show and to purchase tickets, click here.