Who’s the one with blue hair in ‘Hot Wing King’? A Q&A with Michael Kevin Darnall

When The Hot Wing King won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2021, the award committee described it succinctly as “a funny, deeply felt consideration of Black masculinity and how it is perceived, filtered through the experiences of a loving gay couple and their extended family as they prepare for a culinary competition.” That consideration of Black masculinity is significantly augmented by the character of Isom, a gender-nonconforming gay cis male whom the brilliant local actor Michael Kevin Darnall plays in teal blue hair.