The set suggests a funeral with a wreath “in loving memory of Pap”. There are balloons, one of which says Happy Valentine’s Day. A “congratulations” sign. Smoke billows from the barbeque. Fat Ham takes place in a family’s backyard somewhere in the South. By the end, this theatrical supernova written by James Ijames will have exploded into one of the wildest, most satisfying, deeply introspective and phenomenally hilarious riffs on Hamlet ever.
A small party is about to commence to commemorate not King Hamlet’s death but Claudius marrying Gertrude within the week. Well not exactly but very close. This hastily assembled barbeque will celebrate Rev and Tedra’s nuptials one week after her husband was killed in prison. As Juicy strings Christmas lights up per his mom’s wishes, he and friend Tio engage in some banter. Ghosts are the topic. Tio sees Juicy’s “dead daddy walking around the yard in the middle of the afternoon…” The ghost entrance is thrilling and the Hamlet references begin.
Former Uncle and brother of the deceased and now newly crowned stepdad Rev (Billy Eugene Jones) is a tough guy who has little patience for the “soft” Juicy. Our fat ham, you see, is not a “real man” and his predilections are not embraced in this small town.
Mom is a sexy and wise whirlwind of goodness and self-preservation. She loves her son, sees him clearly and yet he comes in second or, perhaps, third with the new pecking order. She knows how to party and be the center of attention with zero inhibitions. Her performance on the picnic table slays. Nikki Crawford is riveting in a role filled with the quandaries of life’s choices and important survival techniques such as not overanalyzing situations. Kudos to Darrell Grand Moultrie’s choreography throughout.
Tedra’s friend Rabby (Benja Kay Thomas) is invited and she brings her son and daughter. Tedra is described as “semi-churchy but honestly she just wanna drink and praise the Lord”. She will be successful in that regard today. Both of her kids know Juicy. Larry (Calvin Leon Smith) is a Marine. Opal (Adrianna Mitchell) is unhappily wearing a dress. Both of them harbor secrets. Both care deeply for Juicy. Scenes between the younger generation are philosophical, raw and movingly real.
Shakespeare’s Prince Hamlet struggles with whether, or how, to avenge his father’s death. He questions his own sanity. Juicy faces the same scenario and thankfully has his cousin Horatio, I mean Tio, as his trusted confidant. In an ensemble of extraordinarily fine characterizations, Chris Herbie Holland achieves bullseye perfection. We all witness the comings and goings (is there even a fourth wall?) but through Tio’s eyes the view is literally enhanced. The video game monologue alone should become legendary.
Fat Ham is a play written with surprising turns and zingers galore. Director Saheem Ali allows menace to creep in but never at the expense of riotous comedy. There is a sadness which never completely disappears but is instead morphed into the vivid personalities which burst out of tragedy into a zenith of mind-altering positivity. The story arc of Mr. Ijames’ play is breathtaking and the myriad of devices employed to develop character are awesome.
Juicy is unabashedly proud, profoundly thoughtful, edgily vindictive, smart mouthed, shyly unsure, self-doubting and trapped in a world where his inner and outer beauty crave a spotlight bigger and brighter than the one in which he resides. A tall acting order, indeed, not to mention the facial expressions required throughout. Marcel Spears’ performance is a triumph in, pardon me, a very juicy role.
How does one break free of the cycles of violence, Tio asks. Juicy’s Pop went to jail, his Pop went to jail, his Pop went to jail and his Pop went to jail. What’s before that? Slavery he says. Fat Ham is about breaking the chains of all things which constrain people from living freely, honestly and happily. A raucous, joyous piece of theater with a brilliant creative team, Fat Ham is a revelation and exudes excellence from ghostly start to exuberant finish.
Fat Ham won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and is being performed at The Public Theater through July 3, 2022.