For the first time ever at The Old Globe the Broadway production of "Fat Ham" is taking the stage.
“The play is set in North Carolina, so it's set in the south,” said the show’s director Sideeq Heard. “So what we see are the traditions and customs similar to being in a black church, right? We have a big family prayer that we all can recognize.”
He said the 2022 Pulitzer-winning, Tony-nominated play is a fresh and funny take on Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.” "Fat Ham" was written by James Ijames.
“It's still a life and death show, but when you do it at a barbeque and add in some karaoke, it becomes a really good time. But it's definitely more comedy than drama,” Heard said.
The story also includes ghosts and demands of revenge. Felicia Boswell plays Tedra in the show.
“She's a firecracker,” said the actress. “She has a lot of heart, she has a lot of spirit. She's fun, she's going to be comic relief for you. She's crazy about the men in her life, her baby, her husband. ”
Tian Richards plays Larry, a marine who’s returning home and slowly changing his old beliefs.
“You get a full arc with Larry. He comes in one way and ends totally different – it's a full 180,” Richards said. “Just to get to play that range and gamut is any actor's dream. And it's a true gift from the writer James Ijames to just be able to come in with how people perceive a man to be and then explore all the facets of what a man can be.”
Heard said that the story focuses on black and queer identity, something not usually shown on a stage this big.
“We have Juicy who's coming into his queerness, Opal who's coming into their queerness, Larry who's discovering their queerness,” the director said. “So we have these characters who are trying to figure out their identity. And along that journey we end up pulling in an audience.”
Richards said Larry is the silent type who's battling with the psychological effects of warfare.
He said his character shows that black queerness, and queerness in general, can look many ways.
“Larry does embody these deep elements of the wounded masculine, and performative masculinity,” he said. “And then we get to see that cocoon crack and we get to see this beautiful unfolding of what he becomes by the end.”
Boswell is originally from Alabama. She said the story of “Fat Ham” is honest and shows real people from the South.
The actress drew inspiration for her role from the women and family who raised her.
“We don't hear stories written about women like this, or families like this – and this is real life!” Boswell exclaimed. “I grew up going to my grandmother's house with my family, everybody was playing cards. The drinkers were drinking, the smokers were smoking. And I grew up around that sort of energy and that camaraderie.”
The play is full of joy and Heard said it's a great conversation starter. For him, “Fat Ham” has an even deeper meaning.
“I love this play. Because this play actually helped to liberate me in my queer journey and it helped me usher into this field of directing as well,” Heard said. “I really hope the play can find a community of people who are searching and in need of that liberation.”
The story's message is about having a true sense of freedom, so Heard said it's a play for people from all walks of life — regardless of race, gender or any other characteristic.
It explores the conflict between what people owe their family and what they owe themselves.
“Whether it's the tidbits of hamlet that James has written into the script; whether it's just the narrative of this Black family in the South struggling to figure out how to work together, love each other, heal from their trauma; or whether it's just you just want to come to the theater and party and have a good time, we have all of those elements,” Heard said.
Performances run May 25 to June 23 with the official opening night on May 30 at The Old Globe.
