Fat Ham
Nominated for FIVE Tony Awards, including Best New Play
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Hilarious yet profound tragedy smothered in comedy
The New York Times
Nominated for FIVE Tony Awards, including Best New Play
Nominated for FIVE Tony Awards, including Best New Play
NOMINATED FOR FIVE TONY AWARDS, INCLUDING BEST NEW PLAY
James Ijames' Pulitzer Prize-winning play transfers to Broadway! Fat Ham is a wildly imaginative and socially-charged reimagining of Shakespeare's classic, Hamlet. However, instead of a Danish castle, this time our story takes place at a BBQ cookout in Southern America where Juicy, a queer college student, must decide whether to avenge his father's death or carve a new path for his future.
The acclaimed production originated as a collab between New York City's Public Theatre and Harlem's National Black Theatre. It received rave reviews when it premiered in Philadephia in 2021, and made headlines when it won the Pulitzer Price for Drama in 2022. Following its Philly run, the ground-breaking new play made its New York City debut with a sold-out run at the Public Theatre's Anspacher Theater. Now, its ready to entertain a whole new audience as it makes its Broadway debut at the American Airlines Theatre, March 2023.
Issues of identity and family obligation come to a head during a backyard cookout when Juicy's dad joins the BBQ. The only trouble is, his dad is dead and this is his ghost. It's Hamlet as we know it - but also completely different. Instead of a brooding, tormented, privileged prince, this time our hero is a self-aware, LGBTQ+ Black male. How will he respond when faced with the same choices? Will he be able to break the cycles of violence? And how differently will we experience this iconic narrative, rewritten and reshaped for modern America?
Marcel Spears as Juicy
Nikki Crawford as Tedra
Chris Herbie Holland as Tio
Billy Eugene Jones as Rev/Papp
Adrianna Mitchell as Opal
Calvin Leon Smith as Larry
Benja Kay Thomas as Rabby
Written by James Ijames
Directed by Saheem Ali
Pulitzer Prize for Drama - 2022
Best New Play
Best Featured Actress in a Play, Nikki Crawford
Best Direction of a Play, Saheem Ali
Best Costume Design of a Play, Dominique Fawn Hill
Best Lighting Design of a Play, Bradley King
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