Podcast Summary: "Fat Ham (Swan Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-Upon-Avon) - ★★★★★ REVIEW"

Host: MickeyJoTheatre
Date: August 25, 2025
Podcast: MickeyJoTheatre

Overview: Main Theme & Purpose

In this episode, Mickey Jo reviews the UK and European premiere of James Ijames's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Fat Ham, now staged at the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Swan Theatre in Stratford-Upon-Avon. The episode explores the play’s unique reimagining of Shakespeare’s Hamlet through a contemporary Black, queer, American Southern lens. Mickey Jo contrasts UK audience responses with those from Broadway and highlights the show's vibrant humor, social commentary, and moving performances, ultimately awarding the production five stars.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Fat Ham: Concept & Cultural Transposition

[01:20–05:45]

• Fat Ham is a modern day adaptation of Hamlet, reframed through the experiences of Black queer Americans in the South.
• Mickey Jo notes the significance of the piece being staged at the RSC, an "ingenious piece of programming" (01:45), especially as Shakespeare’s birthplace and spiritual home.
• Contrast is drawn between the American and UK audiences:
  • UK crowd may miss some references (e.g., Rick James’s birthday, Do the Right Thing), but are more attuned to Hamlet connections.
  • "What they are really responding to... is all of the parallels with Hamlet." (04:40)
• The production is one of three Hamlet-adjacent plays at RSC this season, reflecting new programming choices under Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey.

2. Tone, Humor, and Audience Reaction

[05:45–08:20]

• The play’s humor is both raucous and crude, with early lines (e.g., “eating his mama’s box”) shocking the usually staid RSC crowd (06:00).
• Despite its brashness, the show quickly wins over the audience through depth, intelligence, and wit, marrying farcical elements (balloon-mimed sex, fist-bumping ghosts) with the epic themes of Hamlet.
• “Just because this may be Hamlet as you have never seen Hamlet before, doesn't mean it's not Hamlet.” (07:40)

3. Reimagining Hamlet—Plot & Structural Parallels

[08:20–13:00]

• The protagonist, Juicy (Hamlet), prepares for his mother’s wedding to his uncle soon after his father’s death.
• Direct and playful parallels with Hamlet abound—ghostly visitations, family intrigue, and a reimagined “play within a play” in the form of charades.
• There’s a layering of contemporary family dynamics, adding modern tensions (e.g., Juicy’s mother using his college tuition to remodel the bathroom).
• The show’s meta-theatrical structure is highlighted through breaking the fourth wall and asides, with jokes about PBS and Shakespeare himself:
  • Juicy’s mother: “...don't quote that dead white man one more time.” (12:25)

4. Queer Identity & Community Dynamics

[13:00–15:20]

• Juicy’s sexuality is central—he is “openly gay in a community that is tolerant of that to a point, but also sort of quietly disapproving.”
• Supporting characters underscore the show’s queer themes:
  • Opal (Ophelia) is a wild, queer counterpoint, challenging Juicy and the narrative itself.
    • “Opal can interrupt him, asks what he's doing and co-opts the narrative...” (14:10)
  • Larry (Laertes) is revealed as a closeted, repressed figure, leading to a poetic and emotionally charged scene:
    • Larry to Juicy: “I want to be soft. I want to bless someone with how soft I can be.” (15:05)
  • Social critique emerges: “There is a hysterical sort of darkly comic satire on toxic masculinity and homophobia...” (15:45)
• The play tackles contemporary LGBTQ+ issues—being outed, homophobia, generational frustrations, and aspirations.

5. Writing, Directing, and Tone Shifts

[15:20–17:29]

• Mickey Jo repeatedly praises James Ijames’s script for its dexterity and humor, and the way it manages wild shifts between drama and comedy.
• Direction by Sadiq Herd (UK) builds on Sahim Ali’s original vision.
• The play’s texture: “So constantly somersaulting between the comic and the dramatic... moving, truthful, raucous, and wildly unexpected.” (16:39)

6. Cast Performances & Character Highlights

[18:06–24:37]

- Elisa Adele as Juicy

• "Morose and somber" but always infused with thoughtful wit and honest pain (18:15–18:30).
• Costume note: “He is perpetually dressed for a funeral. But it's a gay funeral, if we're being honest.” (18:27)
• Performance praised for pensiveness and his ability to carry both humor and profundity.

- Sul Rimmy as Pap/Rev

• Dual role as Juicy's father (ghost) and stepfather, balancing “palpable danger” and “silliness.” (18:48–19:10)
• Sharp comedic moments and significant presence.

- Andy Osho as Teedra (Juicy's mother)

• “Sensationally show stopping,” especially during the karaoke performance (“100% Pure Love”) and in comic beats.
• Nuanced portrayal amid culture and accent differences.

- Jasmine Alcock as Opal

• “Wonderful... wide eyes are the most expressive window to the mania of this character.” (20:03)
• Defines much of the play’s comedic heart and emotional depth.

- Sandra Marvin as Rabi

• Vibrant depiction of Opal’s mother, a “conservative church lady,” yet quick to adapt and grow amid family chaos.

- Cory Montague Chalet as Larry

• Praised for a “heartfelt and beautiful and more than anything Else a sensitive performance.” (21:03)
• Larry’s emotional vulnerability with Juicy is a show highlight.

- Kieran Taylor Ford as Tio

• Comic relief with surreal, risqué monologue about a gingerbread man that showcases the play’s range.
• Delivers a reimagined “Alas, poor Yorick” moment with sneakers:
  • “Rather than anyone brandishing the skull on stage, Tio is wearing his sneakers.” (22:15)

7. Writing Craft & Final Thoughts

[22:30–24:37]

• Mickey Jo raves about the writing’s ability to careen from “ejaculating over an imaginary gingerbread man to a place of legitimate and significant philosophical depth.” (23:00)
• The blend of chaos and sincerity is highlighted as uniquely rewarding.
• “This is an extraordinary piece of theater... can turn towards sincerity and can be moving and can be hilarious and raucous and ridiculous. Ridiculous and serious all at the same time.” (23:30)
• Strong recommendation for theatre and Shakespeare fans.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I do suspect that Shakespeare might be rolling in his grave at the prospect of Fat Ham, but only in order to find a better angle at which to twerk.” —Mickey Jo (01:20)
• “Just because this may be Hamlet as you have never seen Hamlet before, doesn't mean it's not Hamlet.” (07:40)
• “This is what I was raised in. Pig guts and bad choices.” —Juicy (08:55)
• “You feel like a fabric that costs too much.” —Larry to Juicy (15:09)
• “Hamlet's mother, Gertrude... never talked to him about how thick he was. And that is thick with two Cs...” (11:47)
• “Much of what Fat Ham becomes about as this tone adapts and metamorphosizes is the frustrations of a younger generation who feel disempowered and disenfranchised and who eventually shout their aspirations into a megaphone.” (16:12)
• “He is perpetually dressed for a funeral. But it's a gay funeral, if we're being honest.” —On Juicy’s costume (18:27)
• “The line and then the gingerbread man goes down on you is a hell of a place for us to be in the first instance. But that we can so soon afterwards get to a place where we are saying something really important … is staggering to me.” (22:55)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:20] — Opening thoughts on Fat Ham at the RSC; "Shakespeare twerking."
• [04:40] — How the UK audience reacts to American cultural refs vs. Hamlet references.
• [07:40] — "It's still Hamlet" and commentary on adaptation.
• [11:47] — Humorous asides about family relationships and “thick with two Cs.”
• [15:05] — Larry’s poetic confession to Juicy.
• [16:12] — Intergenerational frustrations expressed in dramatic and comic ways.
• [18:06–24:37] — Cast and character breakdown, memorable performances.
• [22:55] — Gingerbread man monologue and praise of writing's dexterity.
• [23:30] — Final summation and five-star recommendation.

Conclusion

Mickey Jo delivers an enthusiastic, nuanced review of Fat Ham at the RSC, praising its ingenuity, performances, and script. He describes the play as a bold and fresh reinterpretation of Hamlet, brilliant at blending humor, social commentary, and emotional resonance. The episode serves as both an insightful critique for theatre aficionados and an accessible overview for newcomers, highlighting why Fat Ham is considered unmissable in the current theatre landscape.