Fat Ham by James Ijames
a critique by Korinn Annette Jefferies korinnannette.com
I took some time from reviewing plays at Playmakers. I’ve been attending shows at Playmakers Rep in Chapel Hill, NC since I was in high school and truthfully, I have not been impressed in recent years. though I’ve been intrigued by the curation of most seasons and the selection of shows, the execution of these selections has lacked.
this is not the case with Fat Ham by James Ijames, directed by Jade Carroll King.
Fat Ham is a Hamlet inspired work that premiered on Broadway in 2023. and you can feel that. it’s current, it’s new, it’s intriguing— and Playmakers handled it well. mounted by a phenomenal, dynamic cast, Fat Ham takes place at a backyard bbq wedding reception for Juicy’s mother, who has just married his uncle, Rev. Rev is the brother of Juicy’s father, Pap, who is dead but haunts Juicy throughout the show.
Photo of Heinley Gaspard and Samuel Ray Gates by Huth Photo. Courtesy of PlayMakers Rep.
it is very Shakespeare. it opens with a crass moment about watching porn, there’s violence, there are asides.
truthfully, the writing is what really does it for me. it’s a Shakespeare fever dream set in North Carolina and people are queer and there’s drama and it’s just so so SO good.
when I think about the impact of Shakespeare and how his work exists in today’s world, I want to see more works like this one created by Ijames. I’ve said this before and I know it’s controversial but I don’t think Shakespeare’s work needs to be staged anymore.
(don’t jump me)
it’s problematic, racist, sexist, and crude but it’s saving grace (and why I love it so much) is that it employs poetic language and plot structures that can be applied to a multitude of experiences. I think Shakespeare is the most impactful when it is studied and dissected. the tropes, the techniques, the comedic awareness— these are the parts of Shakespeare that we need to continue to explore. we do not need a three hour production of Hamlet in a flowery language that no one can understand. there is no need to further alienate audiences by producing Shakespearean plays that the actors can’t even comprehend.
while I thoroughly enjoyed all of the twists and turns and Shakespear-y things Fat Ham had to offer, I do have critiques.
Playmakers often does this thing where they cast mature people as youthful, energetic characters. and as I’ve said before (read: Blues for an Alabama Sky critique), it does not work. I know they have no choice because it’s a company or whatever but I do wish they would really take their time outsourcing actors when it is needed.
I could not tell how old the younger characters were supposed to be. in the text, Juicy and Larry are meant to be around the same age and I got that they were similar in age, but Juicy just seemed so much older than the 20/21 he was supposed to be. it felt like he was playing young (or maybe soft?), and I think it is a disservice to the play to infantilize this character.
in my experience reading plays, the importance of age in a play varies. it matters the most when it is specified by the playwright. Ijames describes Juicy in the character descriptions as a very narrow, specific “Twenty to twenty-one.” in contrast, Tio is described as “Twenty to forty.” I think it is extremely important to the plot of the play that Juicy has a young, bright energy.
Juicy, played by Heinley Gaspard, was not believable to me. though I loved the ‘soft’ he brought to the character, I zoned out during many of his asides because I couldn’t understand what he was saying. during Juicy’s longer speeches it felt like he was droning on and it really took me out of the moment in the play. there was also something funky going on with his southern accent and at one point he said ‘haunt’ like ‘ho-nt’ and I was very confused.
there are two karaoke performances in the show that I felt were meant to articulate and further emphasize the relationships between characters. this is where Gaspard really shined as Juicy. his performance was awkward and cringey— really a perfect moment. but it would’ve been even better if Juicy’s mother Tedra, played by Rasool Jahan, had fully committed to her karaoke number performed just moments before Juicy’s. the contrast between karaoke performances was present but I think it would have been even better if Jahan had really taken it there.
design wise, these are the best costumes I’ve seen for a play with Black actors at Playmakers. in my critique of Native Son at Playmakers years ago, one of my biggest issues was the lack of regard for the costumes of the Black actors particularly in contrast to a singular white woman in the show. then, with Blues for an Alabama Sky I felt the costumes lacked historical accuracy. the costumes for Fat Ham were designed by Sabrina Guillaume-Bradshaw, and I could visibly see a difference in the consideration that was given to each character’s wardrobe.
I really enjoyed the set design as well. there was a glass sliding door that allowed us to peek inside the home, creating another dimension of space onstage.
there was also this trampoline downstage left-ish and I thought that was weird because I couldn’t justify the characters bouncing on it— when characters used the trampoline it didn’t feel like there was any motivation to do so, it felt like it was just ‘in the blocking.’ to me, the trampoline didn’t really serve a purpose it was just whimsical and kind of unnecessary.
I am still, thoroughly impressed, and must pay that to this ensemble of actors who literally lit up the stage and kept me engaged throughout the whole performance. well done.
Photo of Heinley Gaspard and Mengwe Wapimewah and Kathryn Hunter Williams and Rasool Jahan and Samuel Ray Gates and Jamar Jones by Huth Photo. Courtesy of PlayMakers Rep.