DETROIT, MI–Fat Ham, written by James Ijames, is a reimagining of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, set at a backyard barbecue in the American South. It’s a play that mixes the weight of classic tragedy with the contemporary humor and complexity of Black life in the United States, offering a different take on grief, revenge, and family dynamics.

At its core, Fat Ham tells the story of Juicy (Dwayne Shabazz), a young, gay Black man grappling with the ghost of his father, Pap, who appears to demand that Juicy avenge his murder by killing his uncle, Rev (Roosevelt Johnson) But unlike Hamlet, Juicy doesn’t fit the mold of a revenge hero. He’s introspective, emotionally open, and struggles with the burden of expectations—both from his father’s ghost and the conventions of masculinity. This resistance to follow in his father’s footsteps becomes one of the play’s most compelling themes, as Juicy navigates the tension between inherited violence and the desire to break free from cycles of harm.

Ijames’ writing is laden with cultural references that bring humor into spaces of pain. The backyard barbecue setting is brilliantly used to establish a sense of warmth and familiarity, only to have that disrupted by moments of ghostly intrusion and mounting family tension. The food, the music, and the casual conversations between characters serve as an anchor, grounding the story in a setting where laughter and trauma coexist.

The set, by Jeremy Hopgood, is especially striking for its detail. The grass looks real. The rear deck looks just right for a three bedroom brick ranch. There are even gutters and leaders on the back of the house.

One of the play’s most striking elements is its exploration of identity, particularly around Blackness and queerness. Juicy’s queerness isn’t treated as an afterthought but is integral to his journey. The play avoids the pitfalls of tragedy by infusing the narrative with a sense of agency and hope, allowing Juicy to ultimately choose a path that defies the expectations placed upon him, both by his father and by the Shakespearean archetype.

The ensemble cast of Fat Ham, directed by Brian Marable, brings depth to every character, from Rev’s oily persona to Juicy’s mother Tedra (Nikki Rochelle), who is torn between loyalty to her new husband and her son, but seems grounded in defining herself through her sexual desirability. Each character is rich with contradictions, and Ijames ensures that even secondary figures are given moments of humanity and nuance. In particular, Juicy’s cousin, Tio, (Charles Curtis) steals scenes with his comic relief, but even he carries the weight of generational trauma in quieter moments.

The sub-plot of Cousin Larry ( Eric Hernandez), in the military, and being conflicted about who and what he is, is a welcome bit of storyline, and Hernandez delivers on a raucous ending to the play.

The direction of the play often mirrors its thematic blend of tradition and subversion. Visually, the production plays with the contrast between the mundane and the supernatural, making effective use of simple set pieces and lighting to shift between the physical and the metaphysical. The decision to stage much of the action in a backyard emphasizes the play’s focus on domesticity and family, making the stakes feel universal.

While Fat Ham is steeped in tragedy, it doesn’t allow itself to be crushed by it. Instead, Ijames offers a version of Hamlet where there’s space for joy, for healing, and for the possibility of transformation. The play’s climax is not a bloodbath but a celebration—a radical reimagining that feels like an act of rebellion against the inevitability of tragedy.

Ultimately, Fat Ham is a powerful, joyous, and deeply reflective piece of theater. It takes the bones of a classic and breathes new life into them, speaking to audiences in a way that feels both timely and timeless. Fat Ham plays through November 3.