Review: FAT HAM at TPAC's Johnson Theatre

“To be or not to be? That is the question.” Everyone is familiar with this iconic quote from William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, despite the fact that not everyone has seen the actual show or a film adaptation. However, there is no shortage of movies influenced by the Bard’s works. You’ve got everything from 10 Things I Hate About You (based on The Taming of the Shrew) to She’s The Man (based on The Tempest). You’ve even got The Lion King, which was based on Hamlet. To this day, we are still getting movies and plays influenced by Shakespeare’s plethora of scripts. I think the real question right now is this; “To do yet another retelling of Hamlet, or not to do another retelling of Hamlet?” Personally, I’d say do whatever you want, and that’s exactly what playwright James Ijames did with Fat Ham. This Pulitzer Prize winner focuses on Juicy, a gay black man who is told by the ghost of his father to avenge him by killing his uncle, who has since married Juicy’s mother. Imagine if Hamlet were set in a backyard with a group of African Americans having a barbeque. It sounds very straight-forward, but that is not the case as presented by both Nashville Repertory Theatre and the Nashville Shakespeare Festival. From the vulnerable characters to the themes of generational trauma and individuality, Fat Ham is a fine meal that will leave you wanting seconds. 

If Fat Ham were to be compared to a meal, then we must start with a beverage. That glass of water that washes everything down smoothly is the director, Mikael Burke. I’m not going to copy down his entire Director’s Note, but I would still like to share it. It’s written like a sort of poem, and it opens with, “If family teaches us anything, it’s that there are always conditions to unconditional love.” The note then proceeds to mention how we only give ourselves tough love because that’s how we are taught. In Fat Ham, Juicy is forced to deal with expectations while trying to live his life a gay black man. Being born into a family with a long cycle of violence and trauma, he isn’t given an option out of the situation. While the play is based on a popular tragedy, it also uses humor to navigate through the pain. With Burke’s direction, all the jokes land perfectly, whether they’re used as a way to cope in a dire situation or to break the fourth wall with references to Hamlet. And in between the comedy, Burke centers ‌on the vulnerability of the characters. He also does an excellent job of using drama and comedy to depict trauma without having either one overshadow the other. It’s all nicely blended like a smoothie.

Before the main dishes come up, you need some appetizers to get those taste buds in a mood. In this case, the appetizers would be the crew. When I first walked inside of TPAC’s Johnson Theatre, I thought I had accidentally walked into someone’s backyard. Scenic Designer Gary C. Hoff brilliantly brings a classic backyard into the theatre, complete with a sliding door on the house, lights strung around, and even a classic clothesline on the side. Melissa K. Durmon serves as the Costume, Hair, and Makeup Designer, and she uses her skills to bring a clear identity to each character before they even speak. Juicy is clearly the queer outcast by his emo-inspired wardrobe and his nails and makeup. His mother, Tedra, wears sexy and flashy clothing in her facade as a perfect wife and mother. Amber Whately’s incredible lighting designs shift between moods from terror to anguish to happiness. Nivedhan Singh’s sound design contains plenty of famous tracks to go along with the story, along with some truly spooky music for the ghost scenes. While everyone should be proud of their contributions, I would like to give a special shout-out to Intimacy and Fight Director Jason Spelbring. Given how Juicy’s family has lived through an endless cycle of violence, it should come as no surprise that there will be fight scenes. However, there is also a small handful of tender moments, and Spelbring handles everything beautifully. 

The main dishes of the show would be the one thing that audiences normally come to see: the actors. Every tragedy (or at least a play inspired by a tragedy) needs a hero, and we are treated to a show-stopping performance by Julian “Joolz” Stroop as Juicy. Joolz makes their Nashville Rep debut with this role, and they absolutely nail it. They teeter-totter between Juicy’s rage and tenderness, and they certainly have the charisma of a Shakespearian actor. Whenever they weren’t making me laugh my butt off, they were making me want to hug them. Tamiko Robinson Steele, who was last seen at Nashville Rep as Mary in It’s A Wonderful Life, delivers as Juicy’s mother, Tedra. As Fat Ham’s version of Queen Gertrude from Hamlet, she presents a facade as the perfect mother and wife through her flashy wardrobe and sassy body language. The way she presents herself to her husband and dinner guests feels staged compared to how she acts around her own son. She wants what's best for him, but she keeps letting toxic men into her life who contradict her wishes. Tamiko brings the perfect balance between her forced and genuine personas. Seasoned performer Bakari J King plays the dual roles of Juicy’s father, Pap (King Hamlet), and his uncle, Rev (King Claudius). While both men are caught up in the endless cycle of violence, they present their violent nature differently. Pap doesn’t even try to hide his anger, and Rev can hide his true nature for as long as possible. I honestly forgot that the same actor played them. The show’s equivalent to Ophelia is Opal, presented by Candance-Omnira. She calls herself “a storyteller, dream chaser, and change-maker” in her bio, and she certainly lives up to that description through her performance. This is not the tragic Ophelia we all had to read about in school; this is a no-nonsense young woman who aims to break away from expectations that don’t make any sense to her. Candance-Omnira breaks this much-needed strength to the character that feels like a breath of fresh air. Making his professional debut at Nashville Rep, Michael A. Mcallister-Spurgeon plays Larry (Laertes). There is this beautiful vulnerability that he brings to the table, and I was cheering as loud as I could for him in the final scene (which I will NOT spoil). Persephone Felder-Fentress plays Rabby, Fat Ham’s equivalent of Polonius in Hamlet. While I was never a fan of Polonius and often laughed at his final words, Persephone made it impossible for me to hate her character. Even when she said something I didn’t like, she was just too likable, and I loved every second of it. Gerold Oliver, who is no stranger to the Nashville theatre scene, plays Tio (Horatio). I actually met Gerold back when we were students at MTSU, so I was already aware of his talents. This isn’t even the first time I’ve seen him do something weird onstage. Tio is a source of comic relief in between the drama, and he’s truly chaotic in the best way. Although they weren’t performing on Opening Night, I’d like to highlight the swings, Maya Antoinette Riley and James Rudolph II.

Last but not least, there must be dessert. For that, we have servings of relatable themes. While Fat Ham does mirror some of Hamlet’s themes of revenge and existential reflections, it also provides some extra flavors. A huge theme presented in the show is generational trauma, which plenty of people can relate to. Whether it’s a history of tragedy or living up to an expectation, generational trauma is a universal experience that’s been getting discussed more in pop culture in movies like Encanto. Breaking a cycle of abuse and violence isn’t an easy thing to do, and the actors of Fat Ham make the audience want to see this cycle end. There is also a focus on individuality. A clear example is Juicy, who represents black queer kids who’ve grown up in homophobic environments. Juicy just wants to be himself, and he is loud and proud. While not every character in the show is queer, plenty of other characters just want to be themselves and not put on an act for others. This all culminates in a truly fabulous celebration at the end, which I won’t spoil here. Rather than give us yet another tragedy, Fat Ham proves that joy is the best medicine, making the audience leave with smiles on their faces. And that is the cherry on top.