Review: Fat Ham

Review: Fat Ham  | The Aurora Fox Theater | Aurora, CO | Curtain Up! | Gina Robertson

If there is something rotten in Denmark, at least in Aurora, let there be delicious barbecue and a hilarious, romping good time. With a sobering look at masculinity, Fat Ham is a reminder that the resilient, boundless hope and energy of our youth may save everyone from dying in the final scene. In James Ijames’ Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, iconic characters and quotes from Hamlet come to modern-day life on stage at the Aurora Fox in this regional premiere.

Hosting this barbecue is the family of Juicy, a moody young man whose father, Pap, has recently died. The party celebrates his mother’s wedding to his father’s brother. Reverend Juicy is visited by Pap’s ghost, who demands vengeance for his murder at the hands of Juicy’s new stepfather.

The noble prince is meant to inherit his dad’s barbecue and butcher shop, and when he tries to choose another path for himself, a degree in human resources, he discovers that his mother and uncle have taken away his options by spending his tuition money on this party and house renovations.

Smart, ambitious, young hopefuls from poor, ignorant families will recognize the pain and resentment of being mocked for their goals, being told that education is a foolish waste of time. When his family refers to books during a game of charades, Juicy is scornful, knowing that he’s the only one likely to have read any. As someone says to Juicy, “It’s hard being someone like you in a place like this.”

Worse yet is the cycle of violence Juicy is about to step into. His father was a killer and was shanked in prison with a sharpened toothbrush. His uncle may have directed that murder and is clearly a violent, dangerous man. They tell Juicy that he is soft and weak, and to prove them wrong he must kill his uncle to avenge his dad. How will he navigate the choices available to him in response to the violence he suffers at this typical family barbecue as throughout his whole life?

The winsome Sa’Daiveon Newell as Juicy is magnetic, with such gravitas and weight, you can’t take your eyes off him. He is morose and angry, but somehow also exudes optimism and good cheer. He shows glimpses of the big-hearted, open-minded, merry young man he might have been without the baggage of patriarchal aggression he’s been raised with. During family karaoke in the backyard, he sings “Creep” and it could not be more heart-wrenchingly perfect.  “What the hell am I doin’ here? I don’t belong here,” might as well be “To be or not to be, that is the question.”  His tense energy says “Hamlet” from head to toe, with an almost playful sense of brooding despair.

L to R: Adrienne Martin Fullwood, Don Randle, and Sa’Daiveon Newell | Photo Credit: RDG Photography

Juicy’s daddy Pap (Don Randle) appears as a ghost dressed in a white DOC prison jumpsuit and a shimmering white doo-rag. He and Newell establish in just a few lines the dynamic between them, one all too familiar that is based on authoritarian dominance and the threat of violence to enforce the father’s will. Juicy is pushing back now that Pap is dead, but how can he refuse to avenge the killing of his own father? Randle demonstrates menace and manipulation, both subtle and outright in the loudness and the meanness and the facial contortions a violent dad uses to make his son do what he wants. Unhinged, he not only demands murderous retribution but cannibalism as he wants Juicy to carve Rev up and serve him like barbecued pork.

Randle also plays Juicy’s uncle, Rev, a man of a similar personality but with a gregarious nature commonly found among used-car salesmen. Randle portrays the small difference between these two brothers that explains why one ends up in jail for murder while the other remains free to commit the same crimes on the outside and get away with it. Rev is mean but controlled. He is narcissistic but friendly. He’s violent but sneaky about it.

The woman at the center of this trio of men is Tedra, Juicy’s mother. Played by Adrienne Martin Fullwood, she is another kind of victim in this toxic cycle of masculine violence. She points out that she knows no life other than centering on a man, having gone from her father’s house to her husband’s. It’s a man’s world, she knows, and serving her man is the way to keep him. She doesn’t ask whether keeping a man is truly the way to happiness. She not only marries the man who killed her husband, but she also lets him take her son’s tuition money and destroy his hopes for the future. Fullwood plays Tedra as a desperate woman who loves her son but lacks the courage to stand on her own or to stand up for him against the men who hurt him. She pleads with Juicy to “be nice” because she believes that placating dangerous men is how they all stay safe and happy.

Antonio Minino is Juicy’s cousin Tio, a hilarious bit of comedic relief who delivers a thoughtful soliloquy late in the second act, along with a vivid description of a wet dream about a gingerbread man. Believe it or not, there’s a deeper message in this dream, about pleasure and acceptance. Many of the laugh lines belong to Minono, and their exuberant physical gyrations are delightful.

The family barbecue is attended by Rabby, Larry and Opal, long-time family friends that Juicy has grown up with. Rabby (Latifah Johnson) has a strong personality. Pushy, one might say. Her daughter Opal (Nadiya Jackson) is rebellious and resistant. She dreams of escape. Larry (Jozeph Mykaels) attends the barbecue in full military uniform, demonstrating another violent aspect of masculinity available to young men as an option. He tells Juicy that being soft is a good thing, then proceeds to slam Juicy’s face onto the table to show that even he cannot escape the cycle.

Adrienne Martin Fullwood, Antonio Minino, Jozeph Mykaels, Sa’Daiveon Newell, Nadiya Jackson  | Photo Credit: RDG Photography

Juicy slips back and forth between stage action and narrating directly to the audience, a device smoothly directed by donnie l betts, along with several clever moments such as Pap’s ghost paying reverence to the barbecue grill before leaving. Along with betts, lighting designer Brett Maughan and the cast produce a visually stunning slow-motion dance effect during Juicy’s karaoke performance that takes the audience into a surreal space inside his head.

Set, costume and props designers, Brian Watson, Linda Morken, and Jack Stremsterfer, are to be commended. The barbecue makes real smoke. The lawn has real weeds, and the sky is a brilliant projection of moon and stars over the string of yard lights. Each costume tells a story, like Juicy’s pink sleeves under his “Mama’s Boy” tee shirt.

The story’s ending is unexpected and may disappoint Hamlet fans, but overall, the show is electrifying and funny. Audience participation and excitement are required, and this play provides barbecue-flavored food for thought long after the show is over.