A Pork-fect Play
Review of Fat Ham at Seattle Repertory Theatre
Written by Fernanda Beltran during an Arts Criticism workshop at Evergreen High School
Fat Ham is a theatrical feast. It’s a pork-fectly captivating performance full of outstanding success, from the language to the dance party in the end, this production is a must-see. Don’t miss out on this flavorful ride!
Fat Ham, written by James Ijames is a Hamlet-inspired play that made its successful debut at the Public Theater in New York City on May 12, 2022. This production has been generating excitement for its strong exploration of identity through the idea of toxic masculinity, vulnerability and building community. Its recent show on May 9, 2024 in Seattle highlighted the importance of being yourself and accepting who you are. Unlike Hamlet, Fat Ham is mostly focused on finding yourself and not much on seeking revenge. The story revolves around Juicy, a young Queer African American man, who is confronted by the ghost of his dad during a barbecue in the backyard of his modern-day American house, with his contemporary Southern family.
This play succeeds in its bold and unapologetic exploration of identity, family, and social justice. Moreover, it amplifies underrepresented voices and centers the experiences of queer African American people, offering a rare platform for their stories and perspectives. This play also faces the challenges of toxic masculinity which connects to the perspective of the Queer character, Juicy, an example of this is when Rev makes a judgment towards Juicy’s career of choice, human resources. Rev believes that it is a career meant for women. In this scene, Rev proceeds to punch Juicy because he believes that by doing so, it will make him more “masculine.” As Juicy deals with the complexities of his own identity, his family friend Larry begins a journey of self-discovery, seeking to find a sense of belonging and connection with his family’s past.
As Larry navigates his journey of self-discovery, his vulnerability shines when he opens up about his identity. Fat Ham shows its modern production by breaking the chain of toxic masculinity with the vulnerability that Larry showed. This fits into the current social context since it includes the involvement of the LGBTQ+ community. An example of this is shown in the play when Larry walked over to Juicy in the backyard and when no one was there, Larry began to open up about his identity. Though Larry makes a gesture leaning towards Juicy as if he was going to kiss him, Juicy backs out and avoids the action. Even though Juicy avoids this, he makes an effort to build community by showing support towards Larry with the rest of the production.
As the characters come together, they create a web of relationships that form a supportive community. The support comes from both the audience and the production when Larry reveals his true identity when he makes a dazzling entrance as a drag queen, letting go of the toxic ideas of masculinity. This creates excitement in the audience, the crowd cheers and so does the production. Following Larry’s reveal, the entire production comes together and displays drag solidarity but more importantly the unshakeable bonds of community that go beyond gender and identity.
All in all, Fat Ham is a production that breaks down toxic masculinity, embracing vulnerability as a strength, not a weakness. Through the journey of Larry and Juicy, the power of acceptance and the beauty of building community come to light. Unlike Hamlet, Fat Ham is evidence of the modern transformation of theater, reminding its audience that accepting yourself is the greatest strength of all, and that together we can build a stronger community. Fat Ham is a success of self love, acceptance, and community. The modernity of theater in Fat Ham truly leaves its audience with a sweet taste of barbecue.
Lead Photo Credit: Reginald André Jackson and Dedra D. Woods in Fat Ham (2024) at Seattle Rep. Photo by Bronwen Houck.
The TeenTix Press Corps promotes critical thinking, communication, and information literacy through criticism and journalism practice for teens. For more information about the Press Corps program see HERE.
This review was written as part of an Arts Criticism workshop at Evergreen High School in Emily Acquino’s Language Arts classes, taught by Press Corps teaching artist Beth Pollack.
