-Brenda Hillegas
photo by Johanna Austin
Okay, seriously- do not miss your chance to see Fat Ham. The fast-paced, incredibly funny take on Shakespeare’s Hamlet is now at Wilma Theatre through 12/31. I saw it on Broadway and I’m so thrilled that Philadelphia audiences finally have a chance to see it, in all it’s Juicy glory, on stage with the theatre where it all began.
James Ijames’s story is set at a backyard BBQ in the South. DO NOT go to this show hungry, because the smells of West Philly’s Dibb’s BBQ, cooked each night, will have you wanting to rush the stage. Juicy- played by the always fantastic Brenson Thomas- is a Black, queer, and soft young man coming to terms with the death of his father just as his mother marries her late husband’s brother. There are ghostly appearances, family trauma, secrets, karaoke and everything else you may or may not expect at a family cookout.
Fat Ham is filled with some of Philly’s finest actors- Donnie Hammond, Zuhairah McGill, Jessica Johnson, and Wilma HotHouse members Brandon J. Pierce, Lindsay Smiling, and Anthony Martinez-Briggs- all in stand-out performances. You’ll have a tough time finding something this season that tops this ensemble and their flawless takes on the characters in this Pulitzer prize nominated show.
Fat Ham is finally on stage at the Wilma Theatre, after the Wilma presented a digital world premiere during the 2020-21 Season. The play went on to receive the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in Drama and then made a stage debut in New York at The Public Theater, co-produced with the National Black Theatre. But that’s only the beginning of this show’s success- a first for a producing theater in Philadelphia, The Wilma also co-produced Fat Ham’s Spring 2023 Broadway run where the show earned five Tony Award nominations, including Best Play. Fat Ham’s return to The Wilma makes just one of the 12 regional productions being presented around the U.S.
More info and tickets here.
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