Fat Ham is a play by James Ijames. It is a modern-day adaptation of William Shakespeare's Hamlet.
The play was awarded the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and was nominated for five Tony Awards including Best Play.
Premise
Juicy, a young queer black man, is confronted by the ghost of his father during a barbecue, who demands that Juicy avenge his murder. Juicy, already familiar with Hamlet's plight, tries to break the cycles of trauma and violence.
Productions
The play premiered on April 23, 2021 in a filmed production for the Wilma Theater in Philadelphia. The digital production was available until May 23.
It made its Off-Broadway debut at The Public Theater on May 12, 2022, to overwhelmingly positive reviews. The Public Theater production transferred to Broadway in 2023 with the entire cast and most of the creative team intact. Previews began at the American Airlines Theatre on March 21, with opening night on April 12. The production once again received widespread critical acclaim and five Tony Award nominations, including Best Play and Best Director of a Play. The Broadway production was originally scheduled to have a strictly limited run through June 25, 2023. The run was extended through July 2, 2023, subsequently closing on that date. After its closure on Broadway the show transferred directly to The Huntington in Boston.