Review: Seattle Rep’s “Fat Ham” Is Deliciously Good

Review: FAT HAM by James Ijames @ Seattle Rep. Directed by Timothy McCuen Piggee. Onstage from April 12 to May 12, 2024. Tickets at https://www.seattlerep.org/plays/202324-season/fat-ham/

Who doesn’t love a family BBQ in the backyard on a warm spring or summer day? Nothing like the taste of smokey meats and tangy potato salad all in the company of friends and family who may or may not be plotting your murder….FUN!!!

That’s the basic premise of Seattle Rep’s production of James Ijames’ Pulitzer Prize winning play, FAT HAM, a modern day retelling of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” that recenters the plot of that play (white Danish Royal family at war with itself) onto a modern day, working class Black American family. It sounds like a terrible idea for a play but…it works! Fat Ham is a clever, funny, emotionally charged piece of theater with terrific characters and crackingly sharp dialogue. Ijames smartly doesn’t try to do a word for word retelling of Hamlet but uses that classic work as a framework. AND, he allows his characters to be aware of the similiarities in the story they’re telling…in fact, that self-knowledge is an integral part of the play, especially with the main character of ‘Juicy’, the stand-in for Hamlet.

Juicy is also a lot more likeable than the moody Dane…he’s clever and funny but also self-deprecating. He’s a chubby, young black man coming to terms with his sexuality AND how to deal with his very dysfunctional family that includes his recently deceased father’s ghost demand that Juicy get revenge on Ghost Dad’s Brother/Juicy’s Paternal Uncle who has just married Juicy’s mother. There’s also family friends like Auntie Rabbie who would like Juicy and her daughter Opal to pair up…only problem is, Opal is gay, too. And, Opal’s hot brother Larry is on leave from the military and he and Juicy seem to have their unresolved relationship issues to deal with as well. There’s also Best Pal/Cousin Tio who likes to get high but he’s also always there for his friend Juicy.

All this PLUS delicious potato salad!

And, it behooves me to note that this is a very QUEER take on Shakepeare’s Hamlet…which makes it even more fun. Not to mention that this play foregoes the tragic ending of the original material to allow the characters the ability to break the bonds of intergenerational violence. Everyone doesn’t have to die if you learn to break those chains that hold you back!

It really is a winning combination of smart writing with a terrific cast and well thought out production under the direction of Timothy McCuen Piggee. Most of the cast is local but Taj E.M. Burroughs as Juicy and Semaj Miller as Larry were both cast out of town and both are excellent in their roles. Chip Sherman was hilarious as best friend Tio with equally clever performances from Aishé Keita as Opal and Felicia V. Loud as Rabby.

And, it was great to see Dedra D. Woods get a role to really sink her comedic teeth into…Ms Woods has been a fine local actor for several years now but she always seems to play ‘nice’ roles…pleasant, normal characters who offer sage advice to other broader characters. Here, she gets to have some fun as one of those broader characters and it’s nice to see her have some real fun for a change.

Ditto for veteran Seattle actor Reginald André Jackson in the dual roles of Rev and Pop. Jackson has played a wide variety of roles over the years but you can tell he’s really having a lot of fun playing these two rogues.

There’s also great costumes from Ricky German and fun hair/wigs from Earon Chew Nealey.

Fat Ham is highly recommended. One of the most entertaining shows I’ve seen on a Seattle stage in many months. And, make sure you stay for the curtain call…it’s a disco inspired/ABBA-esque dance party experience.