Photos: FAT HAM Now Playing at San Francisco Playhouse

San Francisco Playhouse is presenting the Northern California Premiere of 2022 Pulitzer Prize-winning Fat Ham. Playwright James Ijames turns William Shakespeare’s Hamlet on its head in this piping hot play that transports the drama to a modern-day barbecue in the American South. Queer Black college kid Juicy longs to break his crazy family’s cycle of trauma and violence when his father’s ghost demands Juicy avenge his murder. With family feuds and a dance party on the menu, this delectably irreverent, poignant play explores legacy and identity, love and loss, as well as pain and joy. Bay Area theatre titan Margo Hall, who directed the Playhouse’s [hieroglyph], Barbecue, Red Velvet, The Story, and most recently Nollywood Dreams, returns to direct. Fat Ham will be presented through April 19, 2025. Get a first look at photos here! 
 
San Francisco Playhouse has assembled a cast of talented actors for this play. Devin A. Cunningham (he/him) makes his Playhouse debut as Juicy. Cunningham has previously performed with American Conservatory Theater, New Conservatory Theatre Center, Oakland Theater Project, and Shotgun Players. He currently serves as the Associate Artistic Director at African-American Shakespeare Company.
 
Jenn Stephens makes her Playhouse debut as Tedra, Juicy’s mother. Stephens has worked with Dave Chappelle on “Chappelle’s Show,” as well as directors Andrei Serban and Mary Zimmerman while performing in Measure for Measure at The Public Theater.
 
Ron Chapman (he/him) plays Juicy’s father Rev and his father’s ghost Pap. Chapman is a resident artist at San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, and has also performed with African-American Shakespeare Company, Novato Theatre Company, and Quantum Dragon Theatre.
 
Courtney Gabrielle Williams (she/her) debuts as Opal, one of Juicy’s friends. She has performed with New York’s Clubbed Thumb, The Flea, The Kitchen, and Rivendell Theater. Her film and T.V. credits include Starz’s “Blindspotting,” Fox’s “Empire,” Netflix’s “Soundtrack,” and NBC’s “Chicago Med.”
 
 

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