The Meat Kings! (Inc.) of Brooklyn Heights
next weekend in London
A Brooklyn butcher shop becomes a pressure cooker of work, ambition and survival in a sharp new American play.
Things to Know Before You Go
Updated: Thu 16 Jul, 18:00 London time
Is there a Saturday matinee for The Meat Kings! (Inc.) of Brooklyn Heights next weekend?
No Saturday performance next weekend.
What time does the The Meat Kings! (Inc.) of Brooklyn Heights Sunday show start next weekend?
No Sunday performance next weekend.
What's the cheapest The Meat Kings! (Inc.) of Brooklyn Heights performance next weekend?
Check the performance list above for prices.
Papatango Prize winner — what does that signal for the writing?
Papatango is one of the country's two or three most reliable new-writing prizes, sifting 1,500-odd submissions a year for plays that can carry a full production. Recent winners have gone on to Olivier and Critics' Circle nominations. Hannah Doran's debut is a comedy with teeth — sharp dialogue, working-class American characters, a politics that doesn't preach. It rewards a Park Theatre audience that's specifically come for new writing rather than for stars.
Park Theatre — what's the venue like?
Finsbury Park's purpose-built fringe house, opened 2013, two studios (Park90 and Park200). The Meat Kings! plays the larger Park200 and it's a kind room — three sides of the action, every seat close, café and restaurant in the foyer worth arriving early for. The Park has earned a critical reputation for finding writers a year before the West End does; this is exactly the kind of play to catch there.
How much politics — anti-immigration material specifically?
More than incidental, less than a tract. The play is set in a New York butcher's shop staffed by immigrants whose status is precarious, and the dramatic engine is partly the politics around them; but the comedy and the character writing carry the show, and the politics is in the air rather than at the front. Smart, present, never sanctimonious.
What is The Meat Kings! (Inc.) of Brooklyn Heights about?
The play is set in Cafarelli & Sons, a Brooklyn butcher's shop where a tight-knit team of workers is trying to keep their jobs and their dignity as economic pressures mount. T, the newest hire, arrives hoping for steady work but soon finds themself caught up in rivalries, rumours of redundancies and the unspoken tensions that run through the cutting room.
What themes does the play explore?
The Meat Kings! (Inc.) of Brooklyn Heights deals with work, class, immigration and the pursuit of security in a system that feels rigged. It looks at how people under pressure joke, clash and cling to one another, and how the idea of the American dream plays out for those on the shop floor rather than in the boardroom.
Are there any content warnings I should be aware of?
Yes. The play contains depictions of butchery and cutting meat, references to prison and strong language. While the focus is on the characters rather than graphic gore, those who are particularly squeamish about meat preparation may wish to bear this in mind.
Is the show suitable for younger audiences?
The production is recommended for ages 12 and over. The language and subject matter are aimed at teens and adults, and some references may be challenging for very young theatregoers.
How long is the performance?
The running time is currently listed as to be confirmed. As with many contemporary plays, you can expect a standard evening at the theatre, and final timings will be available closer to the start of the run and on your ticket information.
Where is The Meat Kings! (Inc.) of Brooklyn Heights performed?
The production is staged at Park Theatre in Finsbury Park, North London, a venue known for championing new writing and intimate, character-driven stories.
About this show
A fast, funny and fiercely humane new play, The Meat Kings! (Inc.) of Brooklyn Heights slices into life behind the counter of a family-run New York butcher's shop at the height of a sweltering summer. T, the newest hire at Cafarelli & Sons, is hoping for a steady job and a fresh start, but the cutting room is crowded with co-workers who are just as desperate to hold on to their shifts. As orders pile up and rumours swirl about redundancies, the jokes get sharper, alliances shift and everyone begins to show how far they might go to stay afloat. Winner of the 2024 Papatango New Writing Prize, Hannah Doran's debut uses quick-fire dialogue and rich character detail to create a vivid portrait of work, ambition and belonging. It is the American dream seen from the cutting room – messy, precarious and unexpectedly moving.
Other plays next weekend
The Mousetrap
The Play That Goes Wrong
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Witness for the Prosecution
Museum Tours Next Weekend
British Museum
Tower of London
Madame Tussauds London
National Gallery
Attraction Tours Next Weekend
Warner Bros. Studio Tour London (Harry Potter)
Windsor Castle
Westminster Abbey
