Fat Ham

Fat Ham is a dramatic stage play written by American playwright James Ijames. It is a modern-day adaptation of William Shakespeare's Hamlet.

The play was awarded the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and was nominated for five Tony Awards including Best Play.

Synopsis
Juicy, a young queer black man, is confronted by the ghost of his father during a cookout, who demands that Juicy avenge his murder. Juicy, already familiar with Hamlet's plight, tries to break the cycles of trauma and violence.

Productions
The play premiered on April 23, 2021 in a filmed production for the Wilma Theater in Philadelphia. The digital production was available until May 23.

It made its off-Broadway debut at The Public Theater on May 12, 2022, to overwhelmingly positive reviews. The Public Theater production transferred to Broadway in 2023 with the entire cast and most of the creative team intact. Previews began at the American Airlines Theatre on March 21, with opening night on April 12. The production once again received widespread critical acclaim and five Tony Award nominations, including Best Play and Best Director of a Play. The Broadway production was originally scheduled to have a strictly limited run through June 25, 2023. The run was extended through July 2, 2023, subsequently closing on that date.

The play will have its West Coast premiere in spring 2024 with a production at the Geffen Playhouse, based on the Public Theater production. Sideeq Heard will recreate Saheem Ali's direction, having served as Associate Director for the Broadway mounting. Most of the Broadway cast will reprise their roles, with Matthew Elijah Webb taking over as Larry after understudying the role on Broadway.

In June 2024 The Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, California produced the play featuring a new cast under the direction of Sideeq Heard.