Sections
  • Best of Washington
  • News & Politics
    • Washingtonian Today
  • Things to Do
    • DC Welcome Guide
    • This Week
    • 100 Best Things to Do in DC
    • Neighborhood Guides
    • DC-Area Events Calender
    • Washingtonian Events
  • Food & Drink
    • 100 Very Best Restaurants
    • The Hot List
    • Brunch
    • New Restaurants
    • Restaurant Finder
  • Home & Style
    • Health
    • Parenting
  • Shopping
    • Gift Guides
  • Real Estate
    • Top Realtors
    • Listings We Love
    • Rave Worthy Rentals
  • Weddings
    • Real Weddings
    • Wedding Vendor Finder
    • Submit Your Wedding
  • Travel
    • DC Welcome Guide
    • Best Airbnbs Around DC
    • 3 Days in DC
  • Best of DC
    • Doctors
    • Apartment Rentals
    • Dentists
    • Financial Advisors
    • Industry Leaders
    • Lawyers
    • Mortgage Pros
    • Pet Care
    • Private Schools
    • Realtors
    • Wedding Vendors
  • Magazine
    • Subscribe
    • Manage Subscription
    • Current & Past Issues
    • Features and Longreads
    • Newsletters
    • Newsstand Locations
Reader Favorites
  • 100 Very Best Restaurants
  • DC-Area Events Calendar
  • Brunch
  • Neighborhoods
  • Newsletters
  • Directories
  • Washingtonian Events
Washington’s Best
  • Apartment Rentals
  • DC Travel Guide
  • Dentists
  • Doctors
  • Financial Advisers
  • Health Experts
  • Home Improvement Experts
  • Industry Leaders
  • Lawyers
  • Mortgage Professionals
  • Pet Care
  • Private Schools
  • Real Estate Agents
  • Restaurants
  • Retirement Communities
  • Wedding Vendors
Privacy Policy |  Rss
© 2025 Washingtonian Media Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Skip to content
Washingtonian.com
  • Search
  • Subscribe
  • Menu
Washingtonian.com
  • Subscribe
Reader Favorites
  • 100 Very Best Restaurants
  • DC-Area Events Calendar
  • Brunch
  • Neighborhoods
  • Newsletters
  • Directories
  • Washingtonian Events
More
  • Subscribe
  • Manage My Subscription
  • Digital Edition
  • Shop
  • Contests
  • About Us
  • Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Jobs
Sections
  • News & Politics
  • Food
  • Things to Do
  • Washingtonian Events
  • Home & Style
  • Editors’ Picks
  • Events Calendar
  • Health
  • Longreads
  • Parenting
  • Real Estate
  • Shopping
  • Travel
  • Weddings
  • Best of Washington
  • News & Politics
    • Washingtonian Today
  • Things to Do
    • DC Welcome Guide
    • This Week
    • 100 Best Things to Do in DC
    • Neighborhood Guides
    • DC-Area Events Calender
    • Washingtonian Events
  • Food & Drink
    • 100 Very Best Restaurants
    • The Hot List
    • Brunch
    • New Restaurants
    • Restaurant Finder
  • Home & Style
    • Health
    • Parenting
  • Shopping
    • Gift Guides
  • Real Estate
    • Top Realtors
    • Listings We Love
    • Rave Worthy Rentals
  • Weddings
    • Real Weddings
    • Wedding Vendor Finder
    • Submit Your Wedding
  • Travel
    • DC Welcome Guide
    • Best Airbnbs Around DC
    • 3 Days in DC
  • Best of DC
    • Doctors
    • Apartment Rentals
    • Dentists
    • Financial Advisors
    • Industry Leaders
    • Lawyers
    • Mortgage Pros
    • Pet Care
    • Private Schools
    • Realtors
    • Wedding Vendors
  • Magazine
    • Subscribe
    • Manage Subscription
    • Current & Past Issues
    • Features and Longreads
    • Newsletters
    • Newsstand Locations
Sponsored

Fat Ham is a Potluck with Flavors for Everyone

Fat Ham is a Potluck with Flavors for Everyone
Greg Alverez Reid (Rev) and Marquis D. Gibson (Juicy). Photo by Margot Schulman.
Tweet Share

Whether you’re interested in Shakespeare, drag performance, family drama, supernatural comedy, or anything in between, playwright James Ijames’s soulful and energetic play Fat Ham, the winner of the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, has something to offer you.

For those who appreciate Hamlet, Fat Ham offers some deep cuts for fans of Shakespeare’s original text. Alongside scores of references and some of Shakespeare’s actual language, Fat Ham tells the story of a son’s moral dilemma when called upon by his father’s ghost to avenge the death.

But for those without much context for Hamlet, fear not, because Fat Ham defiantly does its own thing. Set at a backyard barbecue in North Carolina, the play references funk music, Radiohead, OnlyFans, and a hilariously raunchy version of the Gingerbread Man. As great storytellers have been doing since ancient times, Ijames uses the context of an existing story to bring a new one to life. “I always think of Hamlet as—and I don’t know that a lot of people think of it this way—but I think of Hamlet as a Cain and Abel story: the story of a sibling killing their sibling to get ahead. Anybody can relate to that; that’s a [narrative] that you inherit and moves with you through generations,” said Ijames in a 2023 interview with Time Out.

Matthew Elijah Webb (Larry), Greg Alverez Reid (Rev), Tanesha Gary (Tendra), Marquis D. Gibson (Juicy), Gaelyn D. Smith (Opal), and Kelli Blackwell (Rabby). Photo by Margot Schulman.

Audiences will leave Fat Ham with plenty to talk about. What does this show have to say about race, gender, sexuality, and identity?  Did you notice all the clever ways Ijames is deconstructing Shakespeare? Who wants to do karaoke? Does anybody know where to get some barbecue? (Be warned: this show will also leave you seriously craving some barbecue).

Ijames’s play not only seeks to bring the story of Hamlet to a new generation, but also to bring a funny and thought-provoking tale of family, Black American life, and queer identity to a wider audience. Whether it is an adaptation, a deconstruction or its own glorious creation, Fat Ham is a show in which absolutely everyone will find something to relate to, and which will unite all audiences in its radiant, delightfully idiosyncratic joy.

“Fat Ham” runs October 25–December 23 at Studio Theatre’s Mead Theatre, 1501 14th St. NW. Tickets start at $75. To reserve your seat, visit studiotheatre.org.

Join the conversation!
Share Tweet

Most Popular in Sponsored

1

Move-Ins Begin at Residences at Mazza, Friendship Heights’ First Apartments in 15 Years

2

11 Shops Worth the Trip in Old Town Alexandria

3

A Once-in-a-Generation Opportunity: A Private Virginia Country Estate in the Heart of Historic Old Town Alexandria

4

Spectacular Waterfront Estate in Edenton, NC

5

A Piet Boon Masterpiece in The Grant at Willowsford

Washingtonian Magazine

June Issue: Pride Guide

June Issue: Pride Guide

View Issue
Subscribe

Follow Us on Social

We'll help you live your best #DCLIFE every day

Follow Us on Social

We'll help you live your best #DCLIFE every day
© 2025 Washingtonian Media Inc.
All Rights Reserved.
Washingtonian is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Privacy Policy and Opt-Out
 Rss
Get the best news, delivered weekly.
By signing up, you agree to our terms.
  • Subscribe
  • Manage My Subscription
  • Digital Edition
  • Shop
  • Contests
  • About Us
  • Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Jobs