When I did this first pass at the Fat Ham theater poster, I had not read the entire script yet. I did see a few YouTube clips from the Broadway production, and I was intrigued by the fabulous and exotic ending to the show. Now that I have seen the show at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater (812 E Rollins St, Orlando, FL 32803), I know that there is no crown in the production. Juicy (Je’Shaun Jackson) the main character in the show, isn’t a prince and he doesn’t see himself that way. He just wants to get a job in Human resources which is a normal everyday ambition. The show deals with queer black identity and juicy doesn’t try to hide who he is deep inside.
Like in Hamlet. Juicy does meet his recently murdered father’s ghost. Through this meeting Juicy learns that, his uncle and strep father had his father murdered with a shiv in prison. The Rev (Essex O’Brian) then immediately hooked up with the widow of the man he had murdered, Juicy’s mom, the beautiful Tedra, (Patrece Bloomfield). Tedra would marry anyone to keep from being alone. She needs chaos in her life rather than time to reflect and feel lonely. Her mantra is that if you keep a man fed, he will always be happy. The Rev, however, is bullying and aggressive, particularly towards her son Juicy. She turns a blind eye when the Rev sucker punches her son in the stomach. I suspect that after honeymoon period, the Rev’s aggression would turn towards her as well.
The show follows Juicy’s self discovery as he navigates a family barbecue where he doesn’t feel like he belongs. The original Shakespeare production of Hamlet is a definite tragedy but Fat ham is is more of a celebration of embracing differences. Tedra, Juicy’s mom exuberantly embraces her son’s unique qualities. Where as the Rev despised those same qualities. The barbecue is staged to celebrate the marriage of the Rev to Tendra and their differing world views become glaringly obvious.
The barbecue in the production is from Pig Floyd’s Urban Barbako which is right down the street on Mills Avenue from the Theater (1326 N Mills Ave, Orlando, FL 32803). Seeing how much the cast was enjoying the BBQ makes me want to stop by Pig Floyd’s to have a taste for myself.