Previews: FAT HAM at Dezart Performs

Dezart Performs (dezartperforms.org) presents FAT HAM Jan 17 - 26, 2025 directed by Michael Shaw.Critically-acclaimed playwright James Ijamesreinvents Shakespeares' Hamlet with this new drama. Performances are at The Pearl McManus Theater at the historic Palm Springs Woman’s Club, 314 S. Cahuilla Road, Downtown Palm Springs. FAT HAM runs 90 minutes without intermission.

“James Ijames’s outstanding transformation of Shakespeare’s tragedy into a play about Black masculinity and queerness both echoes Hamlet and finds a language beyond it.”- The New York Times

“...a vicious critique of masculinity and violence infused with a much-needed hilarity. Ijames crafts a tender story on being queer, Black and “soft” in the American south.” - The Guardian

To be or not to be certainly is the question for Juicy, a Black, queer, Southern college kid grappling with serious questions of identity, when the ghost of his father shows up at the family cookout demanding that Juicy avenge his murder. What’s different is Juicy himself, a sensitive and self-aware young Black man trying to break the cycles of trauma and violence in service of his own liberation. Juicy grapples with identity, family, responsibility and honesty as generations clash at the barbecue. Serving up the drama, wit and existential angst of the Bard with a generous side of humor and heart, this modern revamp of Shakespeare's Hamlet emerges as a compelling examination of love and loss, pain and joy. Starring Devere Rogers (Juicy), Candace Nicholas-Lippman (Tedra), Tamiyka White (Rabby), Maci Alexis (Opal) and Michael Houston (Larry).

Dezart Performs Founder and Artistic Director Michael Shaw is thrilled to bring the story alive. “Directing Fat Ham is an exhilarating journey into the heart of comedy and tragedy, where each moment is a fresh exploration of family, identity, and the chaos of living. It’s a thrill to bring this vibrant, bold reimagining of Hamlet to life on stage.”