Review: Kira Rockwell’s ‘Holy Chicken Sandwich’ offers more flavor than protein 

Kira Rockwell has established herself as a well-appreciated Atlanta playwright with a tender sensibility yet a sharp eye for critiquing institutions. These instincts are on full display in Holy Chicken Sandwich, her newest world premiere running at Horizon Theatre through September 19. However, some muddled metaphors and tonally confused directing prevent the play from singing as well as it could.

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Like many of Rockwell’s previous works, such as the excellent Oh, to Be Pure Again, Holy Chicken Sandwich takes aim at the complexities and absurdities of organized religion, this time by parodying a certain well-known, faith-based restaurant chain. The play is set on the opening day of a new branch of Holy Grail, and the chain restaurant swarms with enthusiastic customers. In honor of opening, the store is offering free food for a year to a certain number of participants who are willing to camp out in the parking lot overnight. These festivities are overseen by Jade (played by Cara Mantella), a plucky, recently promoted store manager who is desperately eager to prove herself to magnanimous corporate representative Mr. True (played by Brad Raymond).

However, Jade quickly finds herself in over her head as a faceless saboteur attempts to derail the entire event, leading to rising tensions between “traditional” and “new age” Holy Grail consumers. All the while, the event is framed as a show-within-a-show performed by a group of self-proclaimed demigods who occasionally appear to the characters in chicken costumes.

It’s an odd affair, to say the least, and at times delightfully so, but Rockwell struggles to connect the zany behavior of the Holy Grail customers with the play’s overarching themes. Chicken Sandwich is perhaps her most stylistically ambitious play to date, but, in trying to weave together so many references and theatrical devices, the central point becomes muddied. While a thesis is made clear by the end in a climactic monologue from Jade, not only is the monologue heavy-handed and somewhat pedantic, it fails to tie together all of the play’s loose ends, making the central theme feel unsupported.

The direction is at least partially to blame here; Lisa Adler never fully commits to the surrealist tone Rockwell is going for. The metatheatrical framing would suggest some kind of religious parable, but Adler has the actors playing it relatively straight. Rockwell’s script also demands that the audience feel the pressure that is mounting for Jade, but Adler’s direction is too subdued to allow for that, which robs the play of upward momentum.

Where Holy Chicken Sandwich is at its best is when it is leaning into Rockwell’s sense of humor. The play is often hilarious, poking fun at corporations and their sycophantic consumers. A particularly hysterical joke sees a variety of pro-Holy Grail videos made by different social media figures, including a lifestyle influencer and an ASMRtist. The cast members, most of whom play multiple roles, are also very funny, though none more so than Marcie Millard, who is easily the play’s standout. Alexander Anderson is also a consistently charming presence as Nicky, an overeager Holy Grail employee having the first day from hell.

The design team is having a great time, especially sound designer John Michael Hoke, who makes the ingenious move to incorporate chicken clucks into the transition music. Mary Parker’s lighting design also helps to emphasize the moments where the play escalates into unreality, such as when Millard, an eccentric widow, starts speaking in tongues before prophesying that a newlywed couple (played by Alejandra Ruiz and Myles Evans) will soon give birth to triplets.

There are things to enjoy about Holy Chicken Sandwich, and there’s a clear spark of inspiration behind Rockwell’s premise — the idea of using a faith-based restaurant chain to critique the intersection of capitalism and organized religion is brilliant. The script is simply too crowded to allow that idea to shine through. With some streamlining and a stronger direction, the piece could truly excel. As it stands, however, Holy Chicken Sandwich needs a bit more time in the oven — or, in this case, the fryer. 

Where and When

Holy Chicken Sandwich by Kira Rockwell is at Horizon Theatre through September 19.
Tickets start at $40.
1083 Austin Ave.

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Luke Evans is an Atlanta-based writer, critic and dramaturg. He covers theater for ArtsATL and Broadway World Atlanta and has worked with theaters such as the Alliance, Actor’s Express, Out Front Theatre and Woodstock Arts. He’s a graduate of Oglethorpe University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree, and the University of Houston, where he earned his master’s.