All-Black Broadway cast spins cultural levity on Shakespeare’s tragic tale

Recently making a debut on the Great White Way James Ijames reimagined “Fat Ham” showcases a 2020s all-Black version of William Shakespeare longest play.

Distinguished for its 4024 lines, “Hamlet” dramatizes an 18th century tragedy in Denmark where a prince returns home to find out his father, the king was murdered by his uncle who is also his mother’s lover.

That she plans to marry the brother of the husband she conspired to kill has always intrigued literary purists.

According to the script set in Medieval times when the king’s ghost reveals details of his demise the conspiracy becomes apparent that “something is rotten in the state of Denmark.”

Written in the language of the era, contrived interpretations have often complicated the storyline which introduced a ghost, gloom, doom and impending suicide.

Not so at the American Airlines Theater where the 2021 Pulitzer Prize winning production sets the scene in the American south.

Featuring a seven-member cast of characters, a free-wheeling, light-hearted comedic version portrayed by Marcel Spears (Juicy), Billy Eugene Jones (Rev/Pop), Nikki Crawford (Tedra), Chris Herbie Holland (Tio), Benja Kay Thomas (Rabby), Adrianna Mitchell (Opal) and Calvin Leon Smith (Larry) promotes a humorous alternative.

From beginning to end, the ensemble cast captures the imagination to unveil culturally literal vernacular and antics relevant to 21st century audiences.

At first glance the set projects a brick house backyard scene hinting an invitation to a picnic or outdoor barbecue.

A metal pit indicates there will be plenty of food and drinks to serve.

And at second glance, there is a photo of an individual bordered by a huge memorial wreath.

How the two images factor in unravelling a plot to avenge a murder justifies the production’s move from the Public Theater where it enjoyed rave reviews.

Under Saheem Ali’s direction, the Ijames penned revision provides subtle parallels to the Shakespearean classic trail from Denmark to American.

“I have this need to disrupt the canon as much as I can, and to disrupt people’s deification and lionization of classical texts…by setting it in the 20s,” Ijames told Playbill Magazine.

In addition to the wicked plot of yesteryear, the modern day playwright adds marijuana, teenage gender conflict, hypocrisy, betrayal, humor, redemption, music and Black pain to the staging.

Prevalent throughout the production is the appearance of the haunting ghost. Like the literary classic the spirit comes and goes at will to demand retribution for his demise. He even emerges from the barbecue pit to punctuate his vengeance. He will not rest in peace until the prison murder is avenged by his son, Juicy.

The playwright tags Tio in a more current moniker from Shakespeare’s Horatio; while Ophelia is easily brought into the millennium as out and proud, Opal, and Laertes serves his country as a Marine named Larry.

“To be or not to be?”

Juicy never utters the famous question. But clearly it is one that causes him confusion.

Black, perplexed, homosexual, student and a bereaved son, Juicy’s life is complicated because his father demands retribution.

That his mother Tedra has moved on from grief to accept affections from her husband’s brother is a matter Juicy must also contend. He finds relief from unburdening to Tio.

Tio spends much of his time smoking weed, therefore it is understandable that as fate would have it Tio is first to see the ghost of Juicy’s father.

Juicy’s growing pains is the source of joy and malcontent in a dysfunctional family faced with celebrating an impending betrothal while simultaneously struggling to overcome the death of the head of the household.

Music is at the heart of the production with Teena Marie’s “Square Biz” and throwback rhythms recalling the disco-era “My Love Is Free” there is finger-snapping accompaniment to a cauldron of smoking merriment.

Slated for a limited run on Broadway, it behooves audiences to laugh along to a parody that darkened the comprehension of English classroom curricular when critical learning was not an issue.

— Catch you on the Inside