ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar
Chicago Premiere of
Fat Ham
HIGH DEMAND FOR TICKETS NOW EXTENDING THE CHICAGO PREMIERE THROUGH MARCH 9th
REVIEW
By Bonnie Kenaz-Mara
So you think you know Hamlet... but until you've seen a ghost emerge from a smoker, and young adults transform into their true selves, you ain't seen nothin' yet. It was my great pleasure to catch opening night of Fat Ham, reviewing for ChiIL Live Shows.
Photo Credit: B. Kenaz-Mara
We've long been fans of Definition Theatre's excellent work and love this creative, high energy riff on Hamlet, set at a modern, black, backyard barbecue. We've long adored director Tyrone Phillips, playwright James Ijames, E. Faye Butler, and Sheldon D. Brown. Fat Ham has a strong cast all around.
Tyrone Phillips’ Chicago premiere-production of James Ijames’s Pulitzer Prize-winning, five-time Tony Award-nominated play Fat Ham is an absolute must see! We've known Tyrone Phillips for years and long admired his talent. I believe we first met when he worked on a show at A Red Orchid, back in the day. It's been a joy watching him move from scrappy storefronts to directing at Steppenwolf, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, and now Goodman, without sacrificing his creative vision. Tyrone is an excellent director, and under his guidance, this award winning script and crazy talented all-Chicago cast shine!
This Goodman production is co-produced with Chicago’s famed Definition Theatre—of which Phillips is Founding Artistic Director and Ijames is a company member. I got to know Definition Theatre well, back in 2018, when I was chosen to join them for a multiweek DCASE Playwriting workshop. They're a wonderfully welcoming company and the talent pool runs deep!
If you're well versed in The Bard's work, you'll notice many parallel plot points, and character details, like friends Tio, Larry, and Opal instead of Horatio, Laertes, and Ophelia. If you're not a Shakespeare scholar, never fear. Fat Ham is a solid, stick-to-your-ribs production that works as a hilarious stand alone piece as well. In this version, Hamlet is Juicy, a young man who is both black and gay. Like the original, his father's been murdered by his uncle who then marries his mother, inappropriately soon after. His father, like Hamlet's, makes repeat appearances from the afterlife. His lecherous uncle's devious designs are revealed in a game of charades instead of Hamlet's play within a play. Thankfully, in Fat Ham everyone does not die in the end.
In our current political and social morass, I'm still firmly committed to amplifying DEI voices and works. Fat Ham is a universal exploration of family dynamics and drama, as well as a celebration of black culture and style in the form of a backyard barbecue. What face do we show our parents and long time family friends? What secrets do we hide and what do we share? Fat Ham is at once classic and modern, fierce and funny, and unapologetically black.
“Fat Ham”: James Ijames’s riff on Hamlet centers on Juicy (Trumane Alston), “a Black, gay, self-aware young man struggling with body image, personal confidence and the oppressive expectations of others, especially his father, as much as any broader existential angst.
Check out the fun show tie in drinks at Goodman's bar.
Photo Credit: B. Kenaz-Mara
ChiILin’ at opening night of Goodman Theatre’s Fat Ham! Such joy and support among all the cast/creatives/crew and audience. Love drink tie-ins with show themes, but I think this is the first one in 16 years of reviewing that’s a tie-in with my +1, Barbara B! “Hard to be the Barb” indeed.
Photo Credit: B. Kenaz-Mara
By the way, I've been part of Goodman's GeNarrations Storytelling workshops for 4 sessions now and I was chosen twice to perform at Lobby Stories. Here's the storyteller lineup for the Goodman's production of Fat Ham, on the theme of "Family"--biological and/or chosen. I'll be performing before the Fat Ham matinee on Thursday, February 20th at 1pm in the second-floor mezzanine lobby. Drop in if you can. FREE.
LINEUP:
Thursday, February 6th
Carrie Waller; "A mother's power of persuasion."
Cora Rambert; "Did The System Fail me or did I Fail the System?"
Thursday, February 13th
Regan Burke, "Holidays Interrupted."
Margot McMahon, "Painting Polyp Portraits."
Thursday, February 20th
Pamela Schumacher, "Tea and Crumpets."
Nancy Solomon, "Mama Golda and Her Famous Blintzes."
Bonnie Kenaz-Mara, "Once Bitten." (My real life Voodoo engagement story, set in New Orleans) ❤
Bonnie is a Chicago based writer, theatre critic, photographer, artist, and Mama to 2 amazing adults. She owns two websites where she publishes frequently: ChiILLiveShows.com (adult) & ChiILMama.com (family friendly).
(L-R) Trumane Alston and Anji White.
Fat Ham tells the story of Juicy, a Black, queer young man who is confronted by the ghost of his father during a family barbeque. Seeking revenge for his murder, his father puts a screeching halt to Juicy’s quest for joy and liberation. Ijames’s reinvention of Shakespeare’s masterpiece features an all-Chicago cast: Trumane Alston (Juicy), Sheldon Brown, E. Faye Butler, Ronald L. Conner, Victor Musoni, Ireon Roach and Anji White. Fat Ham opens tonight and runs through March 2. Tickets ($25 - $85; subject to change) are available at GoodmanTheatre.org/Ham or by phone at 312.443.3800. Goodman Theatre is grateful for the support of ITW (Corporate Sponsor Partner) and the Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust (Lead Sponsor of IDEAA Programming).
EXTENSION WEEK SCHEDULE
-Tuesday, February 25 at 7:30pm
-Wednesday, February 26 at 7:30pm
-Thursday, February 27 at 2pm and 7:30pm
-Friday, February 28 at 7:30pm
-Saturday, March 1 at 2pm and 7:30pm
-Sunday, March 2 at 2pm
Special events for the production include: Drinks and Discussion: Conversation with Definition Theatre (January 24) featuring a panel of the talented Black creatives behind the Chicago-premiere production exploring the unique experiences and perspectives of Black queer artists; Black Affinity Night (February 7) celebrates the richness of Black culture and community at a special pre-show reception and conversation, followed by the evening performance.
(L-R) Trumane Alston and Ireon Roach.
Full Company of Fat Ham (in alphabetical order)
By James Ijames
Directed by Tyrone Phillips
Trumane Alston…Juicy
Sheldon Brown…Larry
E. Faye Butler…Rabby
Ronald L. Conner…Rev/Pap
Victor Musoni…Tio
Ireon Roach…Opal
Anji White…Tedra
Understudies for this production include Blake Hamilton Currie, Marquise De’Jahn, TayLar, Joseph Primes and Jazzy Rush.
Creative Team
Set Designer…..Arnel Sancianco
Costume Designer ……Jos N. Banks
Lighting Designer…..Jason Lynch
Sound Designer….. Willow James
Illusion Consultant…Benjamin Barnes
Fight and Intimacy…Gaby Labotka
Casting is by Lauren Port, CSA. Jared Bellot is the Dramaturg. Patrick Fries is the Production Stage Manager.
ENHANCED AND ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES AT GOODMAN THEATRE
ASL-Interpreted Performance: Friday, January 31 at 7:30pm – Professional ASL interpreter signs the action/text as played.
Touch Tour* and Audio-Described Performance: Saturday, February 1, 12:30pm Touch Tour; 2pm performance – The action/text is audibly enhanced for patrons via headset.
Spanish-Subtitled Performance: Saturday, February 1 at 7:30pm – An LED sign presents Spanish-translated dialogue in sync with the performance.
Open-Captioned Performance: Sunday, February 2 at 2pm – An LED sign presents dialogue in sync with the performance.
Visit Goodman theatre.org/Access for more information about Goodman Theatre’s accessibility efforts.
Definition Theatre has been a vibrant force for over a decade, celebrating stories created with, inspired by, and intended for people and communities of color. Through the act of making, Definition expands perspectives, stewards resources, and bridges the possibilities found at the intersection of art, innovation, and education. Known for bold and impactful productions, we’ve brought to life plays by Oscar-winner Tarell Alvin McCraney, Pulitzer Prize-winners James Ijames and Jackie Sibblies Drury, and Tony Award-winner Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. We strive to promote equity, foster empathy, and enhance the quality of life for our community members by offering opportunities for creative, entrepreneurial, and cultural expression. Our work emphasizes collaboration in theater-making and raises awareness of career paths in the arts. In 2024, Definition leased and equipped a storefront space in Hyde Park, enabling us to engage artists and expand programs as we prepare for our permanent home in Woodlawn on the southside of Chicago. This new theater, community center, and business incubator will amplify and preserve BIPOC voices, promote social justice, and empower the next generation of artists, entrepreneurs, and changemakers to drive positive progress through the transformative power of the arts. Tyrone Phillips is the Artistic Director, Neel McNeill is the Executive Director, Willow James is the Civic Engagement Director.
ABOUT GOODMAN THEATRE
Chicago’s theater since 1925, Goodman Theatre is a not-for-profit arts and community organization in the heart of the Loop, distinguished by the excellence and scope of its artistic programming and community engagement. Led by Artistic Director Susan V. Booth and Executive Director John Collins, the theater’s artistic priorities include new play development (more than 150 world or American premieres), large scale musical theater works and reimagined classics. Artists and productions have earned two Pulitzer Prizes, 22 Tony Awards and more than 160 Jeff Awards, among other accolades.
The Goodman is the first theater in the world to produce all 10 plays in August Wilson’s “American Century Cycle.” Its longtime annual holiday tradition A Christmas Carol, now in its fifth decade, has created a new generation of theatergoers in Chicago. The Goodman also frequently serves as a production and program partner with national and international companies and Chicago’s Off-Loop theaters.
Using the tools of theatrical practice, the Goodman’s Education and Engagement programs aim to develop generations of citizens who understand and empathize with cultures and stories of diverse voices. The Goodman’s Alice Rapoport Center for Education and Engagement is the home of these programs, which are offered for Chicago youth—85% of whom come from underserved communities—schools and life-long learners.
Goodman Theatre was built on the traditional homelands of the Council of the Three Fires: the Ojibwe, Odawa and Potawatomi Nations. We recognize that many other Nations consider the area we now call Chicago as their traditional homeland—including the Myaamia, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Sac and Fox, Peoria, Kaskaskia, Wea, Kickapoo and Mascouten—and remains home to many Native peoples today. While we believe that our city’s vast diversity should be reflected on the stages of its largest theater, we acknowledge that our efforts have largely overlooked the voices of our Native peoples. This omission has added to the isolation, erasure and harm that Indigenous communities have faced for hundreds of years. We have begun a more deliberate journey towards celebrating Native American stories and welcoming Indigenous communities.\
Goodman Theatre was founded by William O. Goodman and his family in honor of their son Kenneth, an important figure in Chicago’s cultural renaissance in the early 1900s. The Goodman family’s legacy lives on through the continued work and dedication of Kenneth’s family, including Albert Ivar Goodman, who with his late mother, Edith-Marie Appleton, contributed the necessary funds for the creation on the new Goodman center in 2000.
Julie Danis is Chair of Goodman Theatre’s Board of Trustees, Lorrayne Weiss is Women’s Board President and Kelli Garcia is President of the Scenemakers Board for young professionals.
