While the main character quotes lines from the play, the most famous line from Hamlet never appears in Fat Ham. James Ijames’ Pulitzer Prize-winning adaptation poses a different question altogether. Not “to be or not to be,” but “to laugh or to cry. He leans into the answer that Black America has relied on for centuries. Laugh to keep from crying. Leave it to Black creative genius to excavate humor between the lines of one of Shakespeare’s most haunting tragedies.
And that is exactly what happens in Fat Ham.
The production, which opened on Friday, May 22, closes out The Black Rep’s 49th season. Fat Ham continues through June 7 at Washington University’s Edison Theatre. In it, Ijames turns everything about Hamlet on its head. Shakespeare’s original — set in Denmark and famously his longest play — becomes a single act with no fixed location.
“PLACE: A house in North Carolina. Could also be Virginia or Maryland or Tennessee,” the lone time-and-place description reads in the digital program. “It is not Mississippi or Alabama or Florida. That’s a different thing altogether.”
It’s the first contrast between the two plays, but far from the last. Hamlet is heavy. Humor drives Fat Ham.
Director Geovonday Jones makes full use of the natural comedic timing that lives within each actor’s portrayal of their character. The emotional weight of Hamlet falls hard on anyone who engages with it. For Fat Ham it is isn’t that deep. Like Hamlet, lead character Juicy is confronted by the ghost of his father. The ghost demands revenge, insisting Juicy kill his uncle, who has married Juicy’s mother before his brother’s body had time to cool. The setup mirrors Shakespeare almost beat for beat.
But Ijames seasons it with the burden of inherited trauma and the pressure to repeat cycles that fuel generational curses.
Murder and betrayal become just two more things Juicy must navigate as a Black queer man trying to find his way — and defend his right to exist as his authentic self.
Audiences meet Juicy preparing for the cookout that will reintroduce his uncle as his stepfather. He’s helping prepare the backyard for the party alongside his friend Tio. The rest of Juicy’s circle arrives with the newlyweds: his friend Opal, her brother Larry, and their mother Rabby.
As his mother’s new life takes shape, Juicy stands at the crossroads. The path he chooses determines whether he follows the familiar footsteps of struggle or creates something new — shedding the skin of misery he’s expected to wear.
Coming off roles in The Dance on Widows Row and Flyin’ West, Margery Handy has been booked and busy throughout The Black Rep’s 49th season. She proves once again to be a reliable presence as Rabby. Her small but memorable role offers comic relief as she confronts the secrets in her own family while scrutinizing Juicy.
Angela Wildflower felt right at home in her company debut as Juicy’s mother, Tedra. Young actress Raevyn Ferguson also made an impression with her genuine take on Opal — elevated by pristine comedic timing. As a whole, the cast appeared to be on one accord in giving audiences a theater experience they’ll be laughing about long after the curtain falls.
The show leans into the silly, but the talent is serious. Marshall W. Mabry IV anchors the ensemble as Juicy, with standout support from Enoch King (Rev/Pap), Brian McKinley (Larry), and Olajuwon Davis (Tio).
The production value matches the performances. Patrick Huber’s scenic and lighting design sets the tone, and Tre’von Griffith’s sound design is stellar. Anyone familiar with cookout culture knows the playlist is as important as what’s on the grill.
The Black Rep fulfills the mission of Fat Ham by personifying the indestructible superpower that is Black joy. It stands stronger than family dysfunction, personal drama, secrets, lies, clashing views, and struggles with identity and orientation. And in Fat Ham, even death meets its match when it tries to square up against Black joy.
The Black Rep’s production of Fat Ham continues through June 7 at Washington University’s Edison Theatre, 6465 Forsyth Blvd. For more information, visit www.theblackrep.org.
Living It content is produced with funding by the ARPA for the Arts grants program in partnership with the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis and the Community Development Administration.
