Reviews are in for the New York premiere of James Ijames' 2022 Pulitzer Prize-winning Fat Ham at Off-Broadway's The Public Theater. Co-produced with National Black Theatre, the show officially opened May 26 in the Anspacher Theater. Previews began May 12 with performances extended through July 3.
In a reinvention of Shakespeare's Hamlet, Ijames' Fat Ham takes place at a Southern cookout. The comic tragedy follows Juicy, a queer college kid, as he grapples with identity questions, the ghost of his father, a supernatural demand for vengeance, and the choice of breaking or continuing cycles of trauma and violence.
Marcel Spears stars as Juicy, Nikki Crawford as Tedra, Chris Herbie Holland as Tio, Billy Eugene Jones as Rev and Pap, Adrianna Mitchell as Opal, Calvin Leon Smith as Larry, and Benja Kay Thomas as Rabby.
Read the reviews here.
Citi Tour (Brian Scott Lipton)
Into More (Juan Michael Porter II)
New York Stage Review (Melissa Rose Bernardo)
New York Theater (Jonathan Mandell)
New York Theatre Guide (Joe Dziemianowicz)
New York Times (Maya Phillips)
Talkin' Broadway (Howard Miller)
Wall Street Journal (Charles Isherwood)
Playbill will continue to update this list as reviews come in.
The announcement of Fat Ham winning the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Drama was made May 9, three days prior to the beginning of previews.
READ: Marcel Spears Talks Shakespeare and Southern Cookouts
Understudies include RJ Foster for Rev and Papp; Tanesha Gary for Tedra and Rabby; Marquis D. Gibson for Juicy, Larry, and Tio; Alexandria Brienne Lewis for Opal; and Matthew Elijah Webb for Juicy, Larry, and Tio.
SEE: Fat Ham Shows Off-Broadway How to Party
The Public's Associate Artistic Director and Resident Director Saheem Ali directs the production, which also features scenic design by Maruti Evans, costume design by Dominique Fawn Hill, lighting design by Stacey Derosier, sound design by 2022 Tony nominee Mikaal Sulaiman, hair and wig design by Earon Chew Nealey, fight direction by Lisa Kopitsky, and choreography by Darrell Moultrie. Props are by Claire M. Kavanah, and illusions are by Skylar Fox. Jereme Kyle serves as production stage manager, and Ryan Kane serves as stage manager.
Visit PublicTheater.org.
Marcel Spears
The cast of Fat Ham
Billy Eugene Jones and Marcel Spears
Chris Herbie Holland, Adrianna Mitchell, Benja Kay Thomas, and Calvin Leon Smith
Billy Eugene Jones and Nikki Crawford
Benja Kay Thomas
Marcel Spears and Adrianna Mitchell
Chris Herbie Holland and Marcel Spears
Calvin Leon Smith and Billy Eugene Jones
The cast of Fat Ham
Marcel Spears
Marcel Spears and Nikki Crawford
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