“FAT HAM” at the Public Theater Spins Shakespeare Into a Celebration of Community

Fat HAM, the delectable comic tragedy that reinvents Hamlet by centering Black pleasure and liberation in its examination of like and decline, reunites playwright James Ijames with director Saheem Ali. Introducing to this pleasure, Ijames gained the 2022 Pulitzer for Drama with this identical enjoy, just days right before performances began on May possibly 12.

The “Hamlet” in this reinvented choose is Juicy, a queer, Southern school child, presently grappling with some severe issues about identity when the ghost of his father displays up in their backyard, demanding that Juicy avenge his murder. It feels like a common story to Juicy, nicely-versed in Hamlet’s woes, but what is various is how this delicate and self-aware young Black guy attempts to split the cycles of trauma and violence in support of his own liberation. From an uproarious loved ones barbecue emerges a persuasive examination of soreness, flexibility, and finding pleasure.

This creation is also a reunion of the partnership in between Nationwide Black Theatre and The Public Theater. Relationship back again to the 1960s, the two theater firms have experienced a extensive-standing historical past of collaboration. They most a short while ago co-generated Countrywide Black Theatre’s Phase for Healing and Resilience as a portion of the Cellular Unit’s Summertime OF Joy that took area last summer months.

Equally companies be a part of forces in this celebration of Black storytelling and community with Excess fat HAM, which operates by mid-June at The Community Theater.

For additional info on how to access tickets, pics of the cast and manufacturing, and a unique playlist, visit publictheater.org.

Study much more about National Black Theatre and its programming at nationalblacktheatre.org.