The production of James Ijames’s play will run at the Stratford-Upon-Avon based theatre from the 15th August until the 13th Septembeer.
Rehearsal images have been released for the upcoming European premiere of Fat Ham by James Ijames.
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and nominated for five Tony awards (including Best Play and Best Direction of a Play, which was originally directed by Saheem Ali is directed for the Swan Theatre by Sideeq Heard.
Juicy is a queer college kid from the American South, already grappling with some serious questions of identity. His uncle, Rev, has just married his mother, when the ghost of his father shows up at a family barbecue, claiming that Rev had him killed, and demanding that Juicy avenge his murder. Reminiscent of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the story may be familiar, but 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.
The cast for the production includes Olisa Odele makes his RSC debut to play Juicy. Also making their RSC debuts are Andi Osho and Sule Rimi. Andi plays Juicy’s mother, Tedra; and Sule plays the dual role of Juicy’s father, Pap, and uncle, Rev.
The full company is comprised of : Jasmine Elcock (Opal), Denver-Isaac Kwashe (off-stage understudy), Sandra Marvin (Rabby), Richard McIver (off-stage understudy), Corey Montague-Sholay (Larry), Florence Odumosu (off-stage understudy), and Kieran Taylor-Ford (Tio).
Talking about the play, James Ijames, said: “I am thrilled to have my play premiere at the RSC! I’ve loved Shakespeare since I was very young and have watched the great actors of the RSC my whole life. This is a dream of a moment! Stratford is the perfect place to bring Fat Ham and with an absolutely superlative cast. They are just astonishing y’all! I can’t wait for audiences to meet the play – I hope it brings a lot of people joy!”
The creative team behind the production includes: Maruti Evans (Set Designer); Dominique Fawn Hill (Costume Designer); Bradley King (Lighting Designer); Mikaal Sulaiman (Sound Designer); Darrell Grand Moultrie (Choreographer); Earon Chew Nealey (Hair and Wig Designer); Skylar Fox (Illusions); Lisa Kopitsky (Original Fight Director); Yarit Dor (UK Fight and Intimacy Director); Christopher Worrall CDG (Casting Director).
To book tickets visit: https://www.rsc.org.uk/fat-ham