Fat Ham (Broadway) NYC Reviews and Tickets

86%

(823 Ratings)

Positive

91%

Mixed

Negative

Members say

Clever, Entertaining, Funny, Absorbing, Great acting

About the Show

A modern day adaptation of Shakespeare's Hamlet, with a young, queer Black man at the center.

The raucously funny, Pulitzer Prize-winning new play, comes to Broadway after a critically and audience acclaimed run at downtown's Public Theater.

Playwright James Ijames and Director Saheem Ali reimagine Shakespeare's classic tragedy to create a hilarious, and profound new story. Juicy is a queer, Southern college student, already wrestling with a serious crisis of identity, when the ghost of his father appears in their backyard, ordering Juicy to avenge his murder.

But vengeance does not come naturally to Juicy, a sensitive and self-aware young Black man seeking his own joy and freedom. From an uproarious family cookout arises a thrilling exploration of love and loss, pain and joy.

You can read reviews from the play's Audience Acclaimed run at The Public Theater by clicking here.

Show-Score Member Reviews (761)

100

Riveting, Masterful, Great staging, Delightful, Absorbing

See it if you enjoy a modern adaption of Hamlet.

Don't see it if you're a Shakespeare purist. Read more

100

Edgy, Great acting, Funny, Entertaining, Clever

See it if you want a new take on Hamlet in a contemporary setting, addressing timely issues about sexuality and families

Don't see it if you don't like quirky or edgy shows, or are uncomfortable watching a show with adult humor

100

Profound, Hilarious, Great writing, Delightful, Absorbing

See it if You want to experience a classic reinvented! Thought provoking but funny, irreverent but respectful 🤯. I bet Shakespeare is feeling proud!

Don't see it if (I saw people in the audience scandalized. Here in NYC!) If you think you’ll have that kind of reaction, just read the play, stay home safe.

100

Transcendent, hysterical, exhilarating

See it if You want to be free from the mortal coil. This is liberation itself, and ecstacy.

Don't see it if You can’t handle a few strobe lights. This is better than HUMBLE BOY, STAGE BLOOD, or ROS & GUIL ARE DEAD and as good as HAMLET itself.

100

Ambitious, Entertaining, Enchanting, Delightful, Clever

See it if Everyone should see this fabulous and funny show that takes Hamlet and cleverly turns it on its head.

Don't see it if You don't want to both laugh and think at a show.

100

Resonant, Great writing, Entertaining, Delightful

See it if This is kind of a modern take on Hamlet with social relevant issues. It has an excellent cast and great direction. It really takes flies!

Don't see it if If you have no interest in socioeconomic issues, the Black struggle against their history, then you should move on to another show.

100

Thought-provoking, Resonant, Refreshing, Hilarious, Absorbing

See it if You love plays about black queer people thriving and being joyful, with great acting, impromptu music videos, and good bbq.

Don't see it if You’re a Shakespeare purist.

Thought-provoking, Refreshing, Great staging, Great acting, Great writing

See it if you want to see a new work that is very well deserving of the Pulitzer Prize / want to see Black queer joy.

Don't see it if you prefer your Shakespeare adaptations white / are expecting to see Hamlet.

Critic Reviews (22)

CRITIC’S PICK: “ Seeing ‘Fat Ham,’ even multiple times, thus remains a revelation and a balm. It does one of the most important things we ask of theater: to rehearse, as many times as necessary, better ways to be — instead of choosing not to.”
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“...’Fat Ham’ keeps you cackling so consistently that the play’s sudden acts of cruelty land like punches in the gut.”
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“Ijames takes Hamlet’s political and social themes and marinates them for a modern audience...’Fat Ham’ is less about seeking revenge and more about Juicy winning justice.”
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“This isn’t a tragedy. In fact, it breaks open and becomes a comedy complete with a big dance sequence at the end...I’d be interested to see another version of ’Fat Ham’ that brings that bitterness out further, slices toward the confrontational bones underneath the comedy.”
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“Excellently performed by the entire cast...Ijames’ play resolves on an exhilarating, life-affirming note. Or, to be more precise, notes, as in song, and dance, and enough good-time gender-bending disco sparkle to win over all but the grumpiest of spirits.”
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“At no point does this play feel like anything other than a big-fun Broadway show: It’s a smart, fearless and often wildly entertaining 90 minutes, filled not just with radical ideas but with absurdist spectacle.”
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“ 'Fat Ham' is a total gas — the funniest and most invigorating new show on Broadway...The playwright’s own prose is lean and precise, with a vibrance of rhythm and association that hardly needs any supplementing.”
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"This version of 'Fat Ham' plays like a modern sitcom, although with more tragic undertones. The slapstick humor and expressive deliveries leave little room for boredom, which is a double-edged sword."
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Trailer

Creative team