James Ijames' 2022 Pulitzer Prize-winning Fat Ham officially opened at Off-Broadway's The Public Theater May 26. Co-produced with National Black Theatre, the show plays the Anspacher Theater. Read the reviews here.
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.
Check out photos from opening night below:
Jocelyn Bioh
Jocelyn Bioh
Sheaun Mckinney
Mykal Kilgore
Mykal Kilgore
Susan Kelechi Watson
Susan Kelechi Watson
Michael R. Jackson
Michael R. Jackson
Jarvis Dewayne Griggs
CJ Stewart
Margaret Odette
Margaret Odette
Daniel J. Watts
Eisa Davis and Pearl Sun
Nona Hendryx
Abena
Abena
Jermaine Brown
Benja Kay Thomas
Benja Kay Thomas
Tanesha Gary
Chris Herbie Holland
RJ Foster
Billy Eugene Jones
Saheem Ali, Tanesha Gary, and Darrell Grand Moultrie
Alexandria Brienne Lewis
Sade Lythcott and Jonathan McCrory
Marcel Spears
Marcel Spears
Marcel Spears
Adrianna Mitchell
Adrianna Mitchell
Nikki Crawford
Eearon Nealey
Nikki Crawford
Calvin Leon Smith
Marquis D. Gibson
Marquis D. Gibson
Saheem Ali and Darrell Grand Moultrie
Jonathan McCrory and Saheem Ali
Oskar Eustis and Calvin Leon Smith
Cast of Fat Ham
Company of Fat Ham
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.
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.
The show was recently extended through July 3; previews began May 12.
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.
