Review: FAT HAM, RSC

Photo credit: Ali Wright

Over the years, Hamlet has been reshaped in countless ways, each version finding something new in Shakespeare’s tragedy. Stoppard spun it into absurdist comedy with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, while films like Disney’s The Lion King have reimagined its themes for wider audiences, including children. Even the modern cartoon Bob’s Burgers has a Hamlet themed episode called ‘To Bob or not to Bob’. Together, these retellings show how the story of grief, revenge, and self-discovery keeps evolving to match the times.

Fat Ham at the RSC is James Ijames’ Pulitzer Prize-winning reinvention of Hamlet, set at a Black family barbecue in the American South. It follows Juicy, a queer young man haunted by his father’s ghost, who must choose between revenge and breaking cycles of violence. Blending sharp comedy, tenderness, and cultural specificity, the play transforms Shakespeare’s tragedy into a joyful, liberating celebration of queer identity and resilience.

In these modern times, it’s a brave and bold move to condense this story into 100-minutes with no interval. Yet, in some ways it makes sense, there is no clear halfway point to this story and it keeps the audience gripped. As Europe’s debut production of Fat Ham, it underscores the scarcity of Black narratives on our stages, particularly those that foreground queer Black experiences.

The set is designed as a modest back garden, complete with grubby deck chairs, picnic tables, and the occasional plume of smoke rising from a barbecue. A house provides the backdrop, its sliding doors serving as entrances and exits for the cast. Lighting is employed with precision: deep reds underscore moments of tragedy, while softer tones create intimacy during a riotous and sharply comic karaoke scene. Subtle use of technology not only situates the action in the present day but also offers insight into the values and habits of a younger generation. The play opens with Juicy’s cousin nonchalantly watching pornography as he waits for his aunt’s wedding party to begin, joking that he could profit from an OnlyFans career.

The cast all have their time in the spotlight, and there are plenty of juicy monologues to sink your teeth into, with hilarity at the core. The use of prayer, singing and dancing really add to both the moving and hilarious aspects of the play, embedding the laughter, culture and core message. Sule Rimi, who plays both Juicy’s dead father and his uncle, is the real standout, demonstrating a complex, sometimes violent man who isn’t completely unloveable.

Just as in Hamlet, Juicy’s father appears at the beginning as a ghost. As if by magic, a gust of wind picks up the picnic table blanket and suddenly underneath it is his late father. At the end of the play, when tragedy strikes, a dead body is covered with the same blanket and yet less than 5 minutes later, the blanket is removed and all that is left is uneaten picnic food - an impressive feat.

Fat Ham builds to a bold, unexpected finale that makes the journey more than worth it. This sharp tragicomedy is packed with energy, weaving together the cycles of violence, the richness of Black culture, and the fierce resilience of family ties. It’s unlike anything else on the UK stage right now. It’s fresh, fearless, and unforgettable.

**** Four stars

Reviewed by: Sophie Eaton

Fat Ham plays at the RSC’s Swan Theatre until 13 September, with further info here.