PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — When Philadelphia playwright James Ijames won a Pulitzer Prize for his play “Fat Ham” last year, the local theater community rejoiced.
Now, it's returning to his native with previews starting Nov. 24. at the Wilma Theater.
“Fat Ham” was first presented as a filmed production by Wilma Theater in April 2021. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2022 and went on to be performed on Broadway, where it was nominated for five Tony Awards.
The Broadway run closed in July 2023 and now a new, live stage production will be coming to The Wilma.
“Fat Ham” takes the basic premise of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” and sets it at a southern barbecue. The main character — a Black, queer college student named Juicy – is setting up for his uncle Rev’s wedding reception when the ghost of his father visits to tell Juicy that Rev had him killed and he wants Juicy to avenge him.
“James also weaves some of Shakespeare's dialogue and some of the more famous lines from ‘Hamlet’ into the script,” says Director Amina Robinson.
But the world and tone of the play are different from Shakespeare’s tragedy.
“When I read the script, the first thing I noticed about it was that it was really funny,” Robinson said. “Sometimes, when you're reading plays that are funny, you're not really laughing out loud, you're just sort of chuckling on the inside. This was one of the plays that I read where I was laughing out loud as I was reading it.”
She says that amidst the comedy, the show touches on important present-day topics.
“The play itself actually deals with exploring cycles of violence and how we pass down toxic masculinity.
“This is just such an authentic slice of a very particular portion of Black life, that it just rings so true. It rings so beautiful, and it's not often that that work is lauded in the way that this is.”
Robinson calls this a homecoming for the play with a cast and crew that feel like “a dream team.”
“It feels like a win for the city,” she says. “James has become this iconic figure of like, ‘Yes, look at what happened in Philadelphia!’ And bringing it back here is just really a special thing. I think everybody's jazzed about it.”
The Wilma is hosting a Black Affinity Night, Pride Night, relaxed performance, and post-show Cafe Chats after certain shows.
“Fat Ham” runs from Nov. 30. until Dec. 23. Details and tickets are available here.