Director: Saheem Ali
Writer: James Ijames
Cast: Marcel Spears, Billy Eugene Jones, Nikki Crawford, and Calvin Leon Smith
Broadway’s latest gem is a story of Southern-fried grief, relief, pain, and joy with a sprinkle of Shakespeare. Fat Ham is a comedic adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic tale of revenge “Hamlet.” In this wildly creative version, The Prince of Denmark is presented as “Juicy” a queer college student living at home with his mother and uncle aka his new stepfather. The story is set at a backyard barbecue in celebration of the newlyweds. Juicy is setting up a wedding celebration even as the wreath from his father’s funeral looms in the background. Despite a tumultuous abusive relationship with the elder, the young man is suffering with the absence of his father. His mother and uncle’s nuptials threaten to interrupt his grief process as they demand he shows some enthusiasm for their relationship. While taking a private moment to grieve the ghost of “Pap” appears to the young man demanding retribution. The apparition spins a tale of deception as he insists, he was the victim of a hitman hired by his own brother, desperate to inherit the barbecue empire and his queen. Conflicted and terrified Juicy must decide whether to be a dutiful son to his abusive father or ignore the ghostly patriarch and emerge as his own man.
A spirited mixture of comedy and tragedy, Fat Ham is a wild journey into the mind of a young man struggling to find his identity. Filled with big laughs and poignant monologues this fourth-wall-breaking performance must be experienced live. Though not billed as a musical, highlights of this play include a surprising karaoke version of Radiohead’s angst-ridden classic “Creep” and an explosive sparkly over-the-top ensemble number complete with glitter wings rhinestones, and floating butterflies.
The play’s protagonist is Juicy, a young Queer black man living in a small town down south. He is the heir to a growing barbecue empire but would rather take his chances in the fascinating world of Human Resources. His recently deceased father was unceremoniously shanked in prison, an ironic fate as he himself stabbed a man to death. Despite a rough upbringing Juicy is the opposite of his guy dad and uncle. Labeled “soft” Juicy is constantly regarded as less than a man and as a result struggles to find himself. Juicy is portrayed by Marcel Spears whom many may recognize from his role on the hilarious sitcom “The Neighborhood” alongside television royalty Cedric the Entertainer and Tichina Arnold. Though a brilliant comedic actor Spears is no stranger to the work of The Bard, having played Othello earlier in his career. The dialogue is vastly different from Shakespeare’s’ English and is instead a masterclass of Ebonics and Southern vernacular. To keep up with its classic muse, remnants of original Hamlet monologues are sprinkled throughout the play usually to hilarious effect. Using equal parts comedic timing and relatable dismay, Spears does not just read the script, he works the room, constantly breaking the fourth wall, sometimes to inject some drama but mostly for comedic effect. He engages the audience bringing all into the mind of Juicy. Spear’s electric performance is matched in intensity by co-star Billy Eugene Jones as both ghost dad and evil uncle. As the Ghostly presence, he is both fearsome and ridiculous appearing from the shadows covered in a picnic blanket or floating out of the open barbecue grill. In each appearance, he is desperately goading his son into vengeance. As the uncle, Jones is more terrifying than any spirit, hiding malice under a mischievous grin. In one scene he goads Juicy into a boxing stance only to sucker punch him in the gut, effectively knocking the wind out of the young man.
With Speares providing the drama and Jones the antagonist, the rest of the cast provides the comic relief. Though Juicy and his Ghost dad/Uncle serve up plenty of laughs it is the rest of the crew that breaks through the tensest moments with a crazy one-liner or some wacky insight. There’s Juicy’s mom the bimbo queen, the brooding and dark Opal, stoner, and porn enthusiast Tio, and the wise-cracking church lady. Last but certainly not least is Larry, a strong but quiet soldier that brings out the best and worst in our reluctant hero Juicy. His presence forces Juicy to feign bravado whilst revealing a vulnerability he did not know existed. The soldier unveils in Juicy a hidden light and power shielded by an inherited meanness that threatens to destroy him from the inside. Through Larry’s eyes, he finds he’s more like his forebears than he thought but, he does not have to be. Funny, irreverent, and incredibly entertaining Fat Ham is a must-see. Catch it while you can at the American Airlines theater, from now until June 25th.
https://www.fathambroadway.com