review by guest blogger Shannon Marsh

While it may at first be hard to see the parallels with a play at a backyard wedding celebration of a Black family and Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Seattle Rep’s Fat Ham expertly blends the two into a poignant, funny and thoughtful experience.

Written by James Ijames and 2022 Pulitzer Prize winner for Drama, Fat Ham plays at Seattle Rep in Seattle Center now through May 12, 2024. At its core is the magnetic performance of Taj E.M. Burroughs as Juicy (a parallel role to Hamlet), a young queer Black man grappling with his internal conflict over his father’s murder and the relief of no longer being mistreated by him. Burroughs infuses Juicy with a mesmerizing blend of vulnerability and resilience, contrasted by the wise-yet-goofy Tio (Antonio) played by Chip Sherman as they discuss the family’s plight and prepare for a backyard wedding and then encounter a supernatural messenger with a deadly command. The joint roles of Pap and Rev (King and Claudius) are played both for humor and with a dark recognition of family trauma and history.

Juicy wants to escape the cycles of mistreatment, misunderstanding and violence and embrace his identity and expression. Juicy often plays with the audience, breaking the fourth wall and calling up Shakespeare references (poor Yorick leaves behind a different memento than the original). The other characters have touches of the original play, but reflect a unique new approach.

While the traditional themes of revenge and family ring through, Juicy and the rest are struggling to make their own way, to find a new way of relating and existing. They contemplate what it is to break cycles of family tradition, community violence, and othering those who dare to express themselves. Fat Ham also has a share of lightness and joy, and ends with a celebration that was both unexpected and perfectly on point for this work.

Fat Ham at Seattle Rep plays now through May 12, 2024. Tickets and more info, here. Review by Shannon Marsh. Photos by Bronwen Houck.