“FAT HAM” at the Public Theater Spins Shakespeare Into a Celebration of Community

Fats HAM, the delectable comedian tragedy that reinvents Hamlet by centering Black pleasure and liberation in its assessment of enjoy and decline, reunites playwright James Ijames with director Saheem Ali. Introducing to this excitement, Ijames won the 2022 Pulitzer for Drama with this same perform, just times in advance of performances started on May possibly 12.

The “Hamlet” in this reinvented get is Juicy, a queer, Southern faculty kid, already grappling with some really serious inquiries about identity when the ghost of his father exhibits up in their yard, demanding that Juicy avenge his murder. It feels like a common story to Juicy, perfectly-versed in Hamlet’s woes, but what is diverse is how this sensitive and self-aware younger Black guy tries to split the cycles of trauma and violence in company of his have liberation. From an uproarious loved ones barbecue emerges a powerful evaluation of agony, flexibility, and finding pleasure.

This manufacturing is also a reunion of the partnership amongst Nationwide Black Theatre and The Public Theater. Courting back again to the 1960s, the two theater firms have had a lengthy-standing record of collaboration. They most recently co-developed Nationwide Black Theatre’s Phase for Therapeutic and Resilience as a component of the Cell Unit’s Summer OF Pleasure that took place previous summer season.

Both of those companies join forces in this celebration of Black storytelling and community with Body fat HAM, which operates through mid-June at The General public Theater.

For a lot more details on how to entry tickets, images of the cast and creation, and a unique playlist, take a look at publictheater.org.

Discover much more about Nationwide Black Theatre and its programming at nationalblacktheatre.org.