"Playwright James Ijames has transplanted the story to a backyard family barbecue in North Carolina, and placed a Black gay man at the center of his play, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2022."
"Ijames may have followed the thread of similar dissatisfaction in reframing the dilemmas of the Shakespeare's prince. And though I can't say we are in this time overflowing with plays about Black queer men who are struggling to find where they fit in their families and the culture, Ijames has somehow made his Hamlet - known as Juicy - more relatable."
"In Fat Ham, those events are more clearly an extension of Juicy's ongoing angst, which in some ways makes more sense. Lightening the situation with humor also opens possibilities for changing the menu."
Fat Ham is a co-production by Portland Center Stage and Portland Playhouse, featuring a Black gay man named Juicy at its center. The play, a reinterpretation of Shakespeare's Hamlet, is set during a family barbecue in North Carolina. It addresses themes of identity and family struggles, presenting Juicy's challenges in a relatable manner. The production incorporates humor to lighten the narrative, making the conflicts more accessible. Audiences can enjoy this Pulitzer Prize-winning play without needing prior knowledge of Shakespeare.
Read at Oregon ArtsWatch * Arts & Culture News
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]