The Meat Kings! (Inc.) of Brooklyn Heights at Park Theatre Review
Written by Bronagh for Theatre & Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
Content warnings: butchery, references to prison, suicide and illness, discussions of racism and xenophobia. Also contains strong language and references of a sexual nature. This production does not use real meat.
Walking into Park Theatre’s Park200 space, this was the first, and I suspect last, time I’ve walked into a theatre to (fake) carcasses hanging from the ceiling. The rest of the space was taken up by benches and cutting equipment and strip curtains impossible not to feel like you are in the back room of your local butchers. Off to a very interesting start, before the lights of the theatre even begin to dim.
We meet Cafarelli & Sons Butchers no nonsense owner Paula (Jackie Clune), head butcher David (Eugene McCoy) and apprentices JD (Marcello Cruz) and Billy (Ash Hunter). T (Mithra Malek) is the new summer temp, recently released from prison and wanting to get on with life whilst making ends meet. Cafarelli & Sons has been passed through the generations and is now in Paula’s hands and struggling to stay afloat. We soon discover there is only one role available within the team, with JD and Billy up against on another. It’s dog eat dog, a tale of survival, the harsh reality of living in Trump’s America, and what this means for those at the perceived bottom of the chain.
All five characters are well-rounded, back stories clear and reach their full potential throughout. I didn’t find myself feeling short-changed on any details, a good amount of details already in Hannah Doran’s punchy script. The characters feel very realistic, whether they’re a struggling business owner or a Wall Street banker turned drug dealer. It’s easy to sympathise with Billy, despite his wrongdoings in the butchers’, with him struggling to pay for his mother’s hospital bills. He isn’t quite as charming as JD, who is working illegally but needs the money desperately. Billy and JD are the embodiment of everything the American Dream goes against. We watch on as they spend their lives panicking about healthcare costs and immigration officials.
Asaf Zohar’s music signals the changing of scenes, energetic tones accompanied by dimmed lighting designed by Bethany Gupwell. The scene changes were slick and well controlled, with cast members whisking various items away to start the next scene afresh. David, JD, Billy and T are chopping and cutting joints of meat throughout, the sound of the knife hitting the chopping board is almost a constant.
Avoiding spoilers, there was a scene towards the end that I felt was a little out of place. Whilst it was impressive with movement directed by Rachael Nanyonjo and movement from Cruz, it did feel like it stuck out a little and didn’t match the tone of the rest of the production. This wasn’t detrimental to the show or my enjoyment at all, but did take me by surprise.
The Meat Kings! (Inc.) of Brooklyn Heights is a fantastic new drama, gripping from the get go, dripping in tension as it looks at the dark underbelly of the USA. This is a brilliant and impressive debut from Doran. Fiercely dark and shocking in equal measure, this is not one to miss.
At Park Theatre until 29th November 2025.
★ ★ ★ ★
