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Fat Ham
2022 Pulitzer Prize-winning play by James Ijames From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Fat Ham is a dramatic stage play written by American playwright James Ijames. It is a modern-day adaptation of William Shakespeare's Hamlet.
The play was awarded the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Drama[1][2][3] and was nominated for five Tony Awards including Best Play.
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Synopsis
Juicy, a young gay black man, is confronted by the ghost of his father during a cookout, who demands that Juicy avenge his murder. Juicy, already familiar with Hamlet's plight, tries to break the cycles of trauma and violence.
Productions
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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.[4]
It made its off-Broadway debut at The Public Theater on May 12, 2022,[5] to overwhelmingly positive reviews.[6] The production received a Special Citation at the 66th Obie Awards honoring the creative team and ensemble. In 2023, the Public Theater production transferred to Broadway 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[7] and five Tony Award nominations, including Best Play and Best Director of a Play.[8] The Broadway production was originally scheduled to have a strictly limited run through June 25, 2023.[9] The run was extended through July 2, 2023,[10] subsequently closing on that date.
The play had its West Coast premiere in spring 2024 with a production at the Geffen Playhouse, based on the Public Theater production. Sideeq Heard recreated Saheem Ali's direction, having served as Associate Director for the Broadway mounting. Most of the Broadway cast reprised their roles, with Matthew Elijah Webb taking over as Larry after understudying the role on Broadway.[11]
In June 2024 The Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, California produced the play featuring a new cast under the direction of Sideeq Heard. Fat Ham ran at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival from March 11 to June 27, 2025, directed by Elizabeth Carter.[12] The 2025 South Florida Premiere Production directed by T.M. Pride, ran from April 4 through May 4 at Island City Stage in Wilton Manors and May 16-June 15 at GableStage in Coral Gables.
The play will have its UK premiere presented by the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon from 15 August until 13 September 2025, directed by Sideeq Heard.[13]
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Notable casts
Awards and nominations
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References
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