The show is called Fat Ham, and the writer is James Ijames. Dezart Performs’ latest production is directed by Michael Shaw, the company’s artistic director. He comes out to speak to the audience before the play begins and pronounces the author’s unusual name for us—but does not explain the play’s unusual name.
Fat Ham won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and its Broadway production was nominated for five Tony Awards—heavy kudos in its favor. So, too, were the “sold out” sign at the entrance, and the lively packed house inside.
The time is essentially now, and the play is set in the South (as the program amusingly states, North Carolina, possibly Virginia, Maryland or Tennessee), but the actors fortunately do not attempt heavy Southern accents. The open set is the back of a house, with a bit of the yard and the fence’s gate off to stage left.
We meet Juicy, a late-teen lad with plenty of issues to address, played by Devere Rogers. We learn about him through a visit from his friend Tio (Enrike Llamas): Juicy’s father died a week ago, and Juicy’s mother, the beautiful Tedra (Candace Nicholas-Lippman), has just remarried, to her late husband’s brother Rev, no less (DeJuan Christopher; he also plays Juicy’s late father, who appears as a ghost).
Is this beginning to sound familiar? Is anyone thinking of Hamlet? That would certainly explain at the Ham part of the title …
The wedding reception takes place in the backyard of the home of Juicy and Tedra (and now Rev). A few guests arrive, including Larry (Michael Houston), a spiffy Marine in full dress. Also visiting are Rabby (Tamiyka White), a flashily dressed older lady and close friend of the family. It turns out she’s Larry’s mother, and also the mother of an unhappy young girl named Opal (Maci Alexis), a friend of Juicy’s.
The ghost of Juicy’s father deserves a mention for the bizarre special effects that accompany his appearance. He actually smolders! The audience was taken aback by this amazing bit; I don’t know whether or not it was the genius of Laura Stearns, the props/special-effects master, but it was a fascinating and mysterious addition.
It turns out that Juicy’s father was actually murdered, and Juicy suspects that his uncle/new stepfather is the killer. But how can he prove it? Therein lies the plot. The play also deals with the teenagers’ sexual identities, which are quite complex. And, of course, there is the new marriage, with dominance issues suddenly presented to the vivacious Tedra. There is far too little of the delightful Rabby; we want to hear—and see!—more about her. The quiet and correctly-postured Marine, Larry, eventually reveals a side of himself we never suspected. (How DO Marines in full dress always look so perfect?) The ghost eventually makes another appearance, and everyone at the reception decides to play a game. As you can see, there is a LOT going on with everybody, and the result is noisy and full of comings and goings … kind of like Hamlet.
The acting is uniformly wonderful, which is a tribute to both Shaw’s direction and the actors’ abilities. Christopher’s Rev, a preacher, is wonderfully sinister and quiet, as a villain should be, except when he gives a lengthy blessing for the food, in which he suddenly shines. Nicholas-Lippman has explored all the complexities of the lovely but sassy Tedra; we see her as an excited new bride, the mother to a difficult son, a hostess to her neighbors, and an aggrieved and abused widow. She handles her dangerously short skirt with great aplomb.
Houston’s Larry is a perfect Marine, until we see him reveal his inner self. Alexis’ Opal is appropriately sulky and hormonal, though at times it was difficult to hear her clearly. Llamas’ Tio makes another appearance just when we had completely forgotten about him; he’s an interesting and energetic contrast to the other teens. White’s fabulous Rabby seems very relatable. As for Pap, the ghost … well, it is great to watch DeJuan Christopher reach inside himself to produce the two very different roles.
However, it is Devere Rogers’ Juicy the audience adores and appreciates most. A tormented teenager trying to come to terms with being gay, Juicy has some of the script’s funniest lines, and Rogers relishes this role. He gets to quote Shakespeare, some of which is a little strange.
It all comes together thanks to the efforts of assistant director Chuma Gault, set designer Rick Bluhm, lighting designer Derrick McDaniel, sound producer Clark Dugger (also the co-producer), costume designer Wendell Carmichael, technical director Tom O’Brien, production stage manager Ashley Weaver, and choreographer Jose de la Cuesta.
Go see one of the handful of remaining performances of Fat Ham. The audience will surely be as enthusiastic and appreciative as ours was—and may the “sold out” signs stay up forever!
Dezart Performs’ production of Fat Ham is performed at 7 p.m., Friday through Sunday; and 2 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, through Sunday, Jan. 26, at the Pearl McManus Theater at the Palm Springs Woman’s Club, 314 S. Cahuilla Road, in Palm Springs. Tickets are $53, and the show runs 80 minutes, with no intermission. For more information, call 760-322-0179, or visit www.dezartperforms.com.
