See it if you enjoy a modern adaption of Hamlet.
Don't see it if you're a Shakespeare purist. Read more
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
See it if You want to watch Hamlet with a Black family, much funnier jokes, BBQ puns, karaoke, a hope.
Don't see it if You expect a direct adaptation of Hamlet, you don’t want to celebrate queer, Black joy, or you are sensitive to explicit language.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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