Juicy is a queer, Southern college kid, already grappling with some serious questions of identity, when the ghost of his father shows up in their backyard, demanding that Juicy avenge his murder. But here’s the rub! Revenge doesn’t come easy to Juicy, a sensitive and self-aware young Black man in search of his own happiness and liberation. From an uproarious family cookout emerges a compelling examination of love and loss, pain and joy. The deliciously funny, Pulitzer Prize-winning play from James Ijames and director Saheem Ali reinvents Shakespeare’s masterpiece.
There’s a brilliant merging of the two plays when Ijames has Juicy recite verbatim Hamlet’s famous soliloquy “What a piece of work is a man, how noble in reason…” It points to the two unhappy protagonists’ attempts to understand the human condition. But while Hamlet fails to appreciate humanity in all its messy glory, Juicy seems more hopeful. And if there’s any doubt about that optimistic tone, just wait till you see how Fat Ham ends. I was wondering how Ijames was going to wrap it all up, considering that in Hamlet practically everyone dies. Turns out to be a delightful surprise. Consistent with his message – choose pleasure over harm – Ijames offers us a gloriously uplifting takeaway that might have given even Shakespeare pause. Maybe they didn’t have to die after all.
Credit director Saheem Ali—who’s making his Broadway debut, as are five of the actors—for keeping the 95-minute play tight in the transition from an intimate 275-seat theater to a 700-plus-seat house. It’s not just about ensuring that the jokes land, which they do; it’s also about the subtler moments. “I want to lay my head in your lap,” Larry tells Juicy. When Hamlet tries that on Ophelia (“Lady, shall I lie in your lap?”), he’s going for laughs and sexual innuendo. Between Larry and Juicy, there’s genuine tenderness, and maybe even more.
Digital Rush
Price: $39
Where: On the Today Tix app.
When: Released on a first-come, first-served basis every performance day at 9 AM.
Limit: Two per customer
Information: Subject to availability.
| 2022 | Off-Broadway |
Public Theater Off-Broadway Premiere Production Off-Broadway |
| 2023 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Play | James Ijames |
| 2023 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Sound Design of a Play | Mikaal Sulaiman |
| 2023 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Production of a Play | Fat Ham |
| 2023 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | John Gassner Award for New American Play | James Ijames |
| 2023 | Tony Awards | Best Costume Design of a Play | Dominique Fawn Hill |
| 2023 | Tony Awards | Best Direction of a Play | Saheem Ali |
| 2023 | Tony Awards | Best Lighting Design of a Play | Bradley King |
| 2023 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play | Nikki Crawford |
| 2023 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Fat Ham |
Videos