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Fat Ham

Fat Ham at American Airlines Theater

Why see Fat Ham?

the pulitzer-winners opens on broadway

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.

 

nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so

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?

Key Information

Run Time

90 minutes with no intermission

Dates

Finished Jul 2, 2023

Cast

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

Creative

Written by James Ijames

Directed by Saheem Ali

Awards

Pulitzer Prize for Drama - 2022

TONY AWARD NOMINATIONS 2023

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

Reviews

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