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Fat Ham

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Fat Ham
Original languageEnglish
Written byJames Ijames
Based on
Hamlet
by William Shakespeare
GenreDrama
Premiere
DateApril 23, 2021 (2021-04-23)
PlaceWilma Theater, Philadelphia

Fat Ham is a dramatic stage play written by American playwright James Ijames. It is a modern-day adaptation of William Shakespeare's Hamlet.

The play was awarded the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Drama[1][2][3] and was nominated for five Tony Awards including Best Play.

Plot

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A cookout celebrating the marriage of Tedra (representing Gertrude) and Rev (representing Claudius) is interrupted when family friend Tio (Horatio) witnesses the ghost of Pap, Tedra's deceased husband and Rev's brother. Tio informs Pap's son Juicy (Prince Hamlet), who recognizes the situation's parallels to Shakespeare's Hamlet. Pap, who had been abusive to Juicy, claims Rev ordered his death to get to Tedra, and demands Juicy murder Rev in revenge. Juicy is conflicted due to his mixed feelings about his father, as well as hoping to avoid perpetuating the cycle of violence and trauma in the family.

As Juicy attends the cookout, he finds himself grappling with his father's demand as well as his rough relationship with his mother and stepfather due to his homosexuality, weight, and future plans. Throughout the day he engages in discussions with Tio, his childhood friend Opal (Ophelia), and her brother Larry (Laertes – here depicted as a closeted man with whom Juicy previously shared a relationship) on how their generation feels trapped by the actions of their parents. After revealing Rev's potential guilt to Tedra, Juicy earns Larry's ire when he forcefully outs him to his mother Rabby (Polonius), who is taken aback but ultimately understanding. Tio offers a remedial story of a strange fantasy he had while playing a VR game involving sex with a gingerbread man, where he was encouraged to imagine a world where there was no sadness, and realized this was something he could will into existence through his own efforts.

Rev soon confronts Juicy over his accusation, but during the subsequent argument starts choking on some meat, and due to his homophobia refuses to let Juicy do the Heimlich on him. After Rev seemingly dies, Juicy points out to the others that the audience expects them all to die (except Tio, who points out Horatio survives Hamlet), as this is what happens in a tragedy. However, the others protest that just because their lives are expected to be tragic doesn't mean they have to be, and they in reality have no obligation to follow story structure or plot. Accepting that they can carry on with their lives despite prior tragedies, the family resumes the cookout, with Rev reviving and participating. Just as they realize Larry is missing, he emerges in fabulous drag and transforms the space into a dance club, leading the entire family in celebration of his true self.

Productions

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The play premiered on April 29, 2021 in a filmed production for the Wilma Theater in Philadelphia. The digital production was available until May 23.[4][5] The filmed production took place at a home in Virginia due to COVID-19 restrictions at the time.[6]

It made its off-Broadway debut at The Public Theater on May 12, 2022,[7] to overwhelmingly positive reviews.[8] The production received a Special Citation at the 66th Obie Awards honoring the creative team and ensemble. In 2023, the Public Theater production transferred to Broadway with the entire cast and most of the creative team intact. Previews began at the American Airlines Theatre on March 21, with opening night on April 12. The production once again received widespread critical acclaim[9] and five Tony Award nominations, including Best Play and Best Director of a Play.[10] The Broadway production was originally scheduled to have a strictly limited run through June 25, 2023.[11] The run was extended through July 2, 2023,[12] subsequently closing on that date.

The play had its West Coast premiere in spring 2024 with a production at the Geffen Playhouse, based on the Public Theater production. Sideeq Heard recreated Saheem Ali's direction, having served as Associate Director for the Broadway mounting. Most of the Broadway cast reprised their roles, with Matthew Elijah Webb taking over as Larry after understudying the role on Broadway.[13]

In June 2024 The Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, California produced the play featuring a new cast under the direction of Sideeq Heard. Fat Ham ran at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival from March 11 to June 27, 2025, directed by Elizabeth Carter.[14] The 2025 South Florida Premiere Production directed by T.M. Pride, ran from April 4 through May 4 at Island City Stage in Wilton Manors and May 16-June 15 at GableStage in Coral Gables.

The Public Theater/Broadway production made its UK premiere with the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon from 15 August until 13 September 2025, directed by Sideeq Heard.[15]

In 2026, American Theatre Magazine named the play the fourth-most produced production in the U.S. for the 2025-2026 season.[16]

Notable casts

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Character Philadelphia[17] Off-Broadway[18] Broadway[19] Boston[20] Philadelphia[21] Stratford-upon-Avon[22]
2021 2022 2023 2025
Juicy Brennen S. Malone Marcel Spears Marshall W. Mabry IV Brenson Thomas Olisa Odele
Pap Lindsay Smiling Billy Eugene Jones James T. Alfred Lindsay Smiling Sule Rimi
Rev
Tedra Kimberly S. Fairbanks Nikki Crawford Ebony Marshall-Oliver Donnie Hammond Andi Osho
Tio Anthony Martinez-Briggs Chris Herbie Holland Lau'rie Roach Anthony Martinez-Briggs Kieran Taylor-Ford
Rabby Jennifer Kidwell Benja Kay Thomas Thomika Marie Bridwell Zuhairah Sandra Marvin
Opal Taysha Marie Canales Adrianna Mitchell Victoria Omoregie Jessica Johnson Jasmine Elcock
Larry Brandon J. Pierce Calvin Leon Smith Amar Atkins Brandon J. Pierce Corey Montague-Sholay

Awards and nominations

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2022 Off-Broadway production

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Year Award Category Nominee Result
2022 Pulitzer Prize[2] Pulitzer Prize for Drama James Ijames Won
Obie Awards Special Citation Creative Team and Ensemble Won

2023 Broadway production

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Year Award Category Nominee Result
2023 Tony Awards[10] Best Play Nominated
Best Direction of a Play Saheem Ali Nominated
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play Nikki Crawford Nominated
Best Costume Design of a Play Dominique Fawn Hill Nominated
Best Lighting Design of a Play Bradley King Nominated
Drama Desk Awards Outstanding Play Nominated
Outstanding Sound Design of a Play Mikaal Sulaiman Nominated
Drama League Awards Outstanding Production of a Play Nominated
Distinguished Performance Marcel Spears Nominated
Outer Critics Circle Awards John Gassner Award James Ijames Won
Dorian Award Outstanding Broadway Play Won
Outstanding LGBTQ Broadway Production Won
2024 Lambda Literary Award[23] Drama James Ijames Won

References

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  1. ↑ Pengelly, Martin; Lee, Benjamin (2022-05-09). "Washington Post wins public service Pulitzer for Capitol attack coverage". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
  2. 1 2 Chapman, Wilson (2022-05-09). "Pulitzer Prizes Include James Ijames for 'Fat Ham,' Raven Chacon for 'Voiceless Mass'". Variety. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
  3. ↑ "2022 Pulitzer Prizes". www.pulitzer.org. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
  4. ↑ "Fat Ham". Wilma Theater. 23 February 2021. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  5. ↑ Ijames, James (2023). Fat ham. New York: Theatre Communications Group. ISBN 978-1-63670-169-1.
  6. ↑ Finger, Kristin (2021-03-02). "Inside "Fat Ham" - Wilma Theater". Retrieved 2026-05-08.
  7. ↑ Evans, Greg (2022-05-09). "James Ijames' 'Fat Ham' Awarded Pulitzer Prize For Drama Just Days Before New York Debut". Deadline. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
  8. ↑ "Review Roundup: FAT HAM Opens at The Public Theater". BroadwayWorld. 2022-05-26. Retrieved 2022-05-26.
  9. ↑ "Review Roundup: Pulitzer Prize-Winning FAT HAM Opens On Broadway!". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  10. 1 2 Rubin, Rebecca. "Tony Award Nominations 2023: 'Some Like It Hot' Dominates, Followed by '& Juliet,' 'Shucked,' 'New York, New York'". Variety. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  11. ↑ Culwell-Block, Logan. "Pulitzer-Winning Fat Ham Sets 2023 Broadway Bow". Playbill. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  12. ↑ Evans, Greg (2 June 2023). "Tony-Nominated 'Fat Ham' Extends Broadway Run". Deadline. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  13. ↑ Gordon, David. "Fat Ham Broadway Stars Will Reprise Performances in Geffen Playhouse Run". TheaterMania. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  14. ↑ "Fat Ham". Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Retrieved 30 March 2025.
  15. ↑ Bakare, Lanre; Khomami, Nadia (2025-01-29). "RSC goes for Hamlet hat-trick with production of Fat Ham". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-01-29.
  16. ↑ "The Top 10 Most-Produced Plays of the 2025-26 Season". American Theatre. September 18, 2025. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
  17. ↑ Ijames, James (2023). Fat ham. New York: Theatre Communications Group. ISBN 978-1-63670-169-1.
  18. ↑ Rabinowitz, Chloe (19 May 2022). "Photos: First Look at the Pulitzer Prize-Winning FAT HAM at The Public Theater". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
  19. ↑ Oladipo, Gloria (2023-04-13). "Fat Ham review – Pulitzer-winning Hamlet revision hits Broadway". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
  20. ↑ "Fat Ham". Huntington Theatre Company. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  21. ↑ "Fat Ham". Wilma Theater.org. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
  22. ↑ "Cast and Creatives - Fat Ham". Royal Shakespeare Company. Retrieved 2025-08-12.
  23. ↑ "Announcing the Finalists for the 36th Annual Lambda Literary Awards". Them. 2024-03-27. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
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