Fat Ham, the prize-winning play by James Ijames, is now on stage at Goodman Theatre in a co-production with Definition Theatre. Ijames’ script was inspired by Shakespeare’s Hamlet and incorporates some of the original’s plot points (such as murder followed too soon by marriage and Hamlet’s personality problems). The production, deftly directed by Tyrone Phillips, creates a rousing Southern backyard barbecue with plenty of humor and sass and a frisky musical conclusion that replaces the bloody climax of the original.
Juicy (Trumane Alston) is our Hamlet, a smart but moody queer young man, who’s going to college online with hopes of starting a professional career. We meet him while he’s blowing up balloons for a backyard party celebrating the marriage of his mother Tedra (Anji White) to his uncle.
Juicy is dressed in black because he’s mourning the recent death of his father, Pap (Ronald L. Conner). The ghost of Pap appears, dressed in a white sheet with holes cut out for eyes. When Juicy sees him and asks “Why the sheet?” Pap says he was trying to look more like a ghost. To which Juicy replies, “Well if I’m seeing you I can conjecture that you are a ghost by virtue of the fact that I watched you get buried. Hence...no need for you, the newly deceased, to dress up as a ghost.”
After a heated conversation, Pap tells Juicy why he’s there. “I want you to catch that hog brother of mine by the snout and gut that mutherfucker...He’s a literal mutherfucker….” In Hamlet, the idea is the same but the ghost of King Hamlet is not quite as graphic about how the deed is to be done.
Juicy’s friends Opal (Ireon Roach) and Tio (Victor Musoni) come around to help get ready for the party and cheer up Juicy. His mom Tedra comes out of the house, looking gorgeous for her new husband Rev (also played by Ronald J. Conner), who is manning the barbecue grill. He doesn’t hesitate to give advice to his nephew/son—advice that Juicy deplores as he deplores Rev’s relationship with Tedra.
Juicy’s old friend Larry (Sheldon Brown) arrives in his Marine uniform and he and Juicy have a moment when they talk about life, their goals and their affection for each other. Larry, it turns out, is sweet on Juicy. This quiet scene is skillfully written.
Tedra’s friend Rabby, played by a spicy and outrageous E. Faye Butler, helps liven up the party. She’s the mother of Opal and Larry and a parallel to Polonius. But Polonius has never brought as much fun on stage as Rabby does.
Tedra brings out a karaoke machine and she and Juicy sing their favorites. For Tedra, it’s Crystal Waters’ “100 Percent Pure Love” and for Juicy, it’s Radiohead’s “Creep.” A game of charades enables Juicy to opine to the audience that “I’ll have these players play the death of my father….”
Late in the play, Juicy observes that they all are supposed to die, but Tio winks at the audience and observes “Well, technically, not Horatio….”
The backyard of the Southern ranch house is done up by set designer Arnel Sancianco with lighting by Jason Lynch and sound design by Willow James. Costumes are by Jos. N. Banks. Patrick Fries is the production stage manager.
If you’re a veteran theatergoer, you have probably seen Hamlet a few times and you’ll be listening for the Shakespearean language and plot points. Ijames scatters some bits of Hamlet monologues throughout the play for Juicy. There’s even a mention of Yorick by Tio, who says to Juicy, “You remember Yorick? That funny guy in high school?”
But it doesn’t matter if you have never seen Hamlet. Ijames has done a masterful job of bringing the Hamlet story to life in a modern setting (which is far different than staging Hamlet in modern dress). Fat Ham is a compelling human story; the production and its musical interludes (and its surprising conclusion) are entertaining and appropriately performed in this Southern setting, which the program notes can be “in North Carolina. Could also be Virginia, or Maryland or Tennessee. It is not Mississippi, or Alabama or Florida. That's a different thing all together.“
All the characters have Shakespearean parallels, even though their personalities and actions may not match the originals. Tedra, of course, is Gertrude and Rev is Claudius. Rabby’s children, Opal and Larry are Ophelia and Laertes. And Tio is Juicy’s friend and cousin Horatio.
Fat Ham has been extended through March 2. See it at Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St. Running time is 100 minutes with no intermission. Tickets are $25-$85, subject to change, and are available online or by phone at 312.443.3800.
For more information on this and other productions, see theatreinchicago.com.
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