The restaging of “Fat Ham” by playwright James Ijames’ 2022 Pulitzer Prize winning play, which also earned 5 Tony nominations, is currently playing at the Old Globe through June 23rd.
To say that sooo much is happening in Ijames play would be an understatement: Based loosely on Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”, ghosts appear and magically disappear, karaoke, board games and charades are played out. Juicy (Sola Fadiran) our main character, is front and center in this redo of Shakespeare’s work.
The play unfolds as a tragic/comedy but with a whimsical take on the revenge tragedy of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” when the Danish King is killed and Hamlet goes off the deep end to think that his uncle killed his father and married his mother. But you don’t have to know all this to appreciate “Fat Ham”. Just follow the bouncing ball.
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| Sola Fadiran, Ethan Henry, Felicia Boswell |
Juicy’s problems begin when his friend and cousin Tio (Xavier Pacheco) sees a ghost and tells him what he just saw. Since Tio is almost always stoned, Juicy ignores him until the ghost demands, that Juicy “make his killers thighs into hams, his intestines into chitlins” and serve him up butchered on a table”. That killer would be Rev (Ethan Henry ) or Juicy’s uncle.
Juicy is an overweight, black, gay man who doesn’t want to avenge his father’s killer. He just wants to keep attending the University of Phoenix and get his degree in Human resources. He’s not about revenge. According to both uncle and father, Juicy is too soft. They want him to be more like a man but Juicy does not want to be guided by the violence that preceded him. He wants to break that cycle of strong man tactics and be guided by fate, compassion, identity, family and connection as seen through the eyes of the Black Experience.
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| Sola Fadiran |
The action begins when Juicy is busy getting ready for a backyard BBQ to celebrate Tedra’s, (Felicia Boswell) Juicy’s mother’s marriage to her dead husband’s brother. All the necessities are brought out from Maruti Evans realistic one story home in the burbs somewhere in the deep south. Evans set design looks like any other peaceful backyard with BBQ, tables and the like. What ensues there, however, is pandemonium.
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| m, Xavier Pacheco, Tian Richards, Sola Fadiran |
Tedra is bounding with excitement and wants everyone to get along but with this group, as each of her invited guests come to celebrate, the comedy/drama unfolds in waves of chaos and mayhem. Family friend Rabby (Yvette Cason who is a scream and a half and often steals the show) along with her daughter Opal (m) have as much to reveal as do Juicy and Marine son Larry (Titan Richards). They all have their own stories/secrets to tell.
The dramedy is emboldened by strong leadership with director Sideeq Heard directing a solid ensemble and individual standout performers sure of themselves and knocking out as much comedy, empathy and tragedy in equal parts as to draw us in in most unexpected ways.
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| Sola Fadiran and Felicia Boswell |
Felicia Boswell is one amazing singer and performer. Soft as a mother and a sex crazed woman who can’t stand to be alone. She has a pattern of marrying abusive men. Ethan Henry (Rev/Pap) is as mean and abusive as the day is long taking no prisoners, Xavier Pacheco’s Tito gives an outstanding monologue wrapping it all up before a standout Las Vagas ending, with Bradley Kings lighting, Mikaal Sulaiman’s sound and Skylar Fox illusion design. Adding to that Earon Chew Nealey designed the wigs, hair and makeup and Dominique Fawn Hill, costumes.
All in all, it was one different night than one expected, but one that got one thinking that not everything has to fit neatly in a little package.
Enjoy.
See you at the theatre.
When: 7 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays; 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays. Through June 23
Where: Old Globe Theatre, 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park, San Diego
Tickets: $35 and up
Phone: (619) 234-5623
Photo: Rich Soublet II)
Online: theoldglobe.org
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