Fat Ham

By: James Ijames

The Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times Critic's Pick that served Broadway "raucous comedy and nonstop pleasure" has made its way home to Audible. Juicy is a queer, Southern college kid already grappling with some serious questions of identity when the ghost of his father shows up in their backyard, demanding that Juicy avenge his murder. But here’s the rub! Revenge doesn’t come easy to Juicy, a sensitive and self-aware young Black man in search of his own happiness and liberation. From an uproarious family cookout emerges a "smart, fearless, and wildly entertaining” (Chicago Tribune) examination of love, pain, and joy from writer James Ijames and director Saheem Ali.

This audio play contains strong language and deals with mature themes. Listener discretion advised.

Now available in Dolby Atmos on Audible.

©2023 James Ijames (P)2023 AO Media LLC

this had me cracking up 😂

the characters were very funny and the family drama was relatable. the Author knows how to tell a story and not just deliver on liners. I MUST find more of his work!!!

Must listen!!!

I absolutely love this. It is hard, gritty, sad, hilarious and even a feel good piece of work. The voice actors are terrific! So great that you can actually visualize them. A MUST listen!!!!

A Surprising Blend of Drama and Comedy

"Fat Ham," marketed primarily as a comedy, takes an unexpected turn into deeper, more dramatic territory, primarily exploring themes of generational trauma and complex family dynamics. The central question it poses—why do we continue to love those who hurt us?—is compelling and resonates throughout the narrative, providing much food for thought. The acting is commendable, with the cast delivering strong performances that capture the emotional depth of their characters. Similarly, the production values are high, contributing to an engaging listening experience.

However, while the setup promises an insightful blend of humor and drama, the execution leans heavily towards the latter, which might not be what listeners expecting a comedy are looking for. Additionally, the ending feels abrupt and leaves several narrative threads unresolved, which might be unsatisfying for those who prefer a more conclusive finish to such a deeply emotional story. Overall, "Fat Ham" offers a good listening experience with its solid performances, though it may not fully meet expectations in terms of genre and plot resolution.

An almost slapstick version of Hamlet

I honestly don’t know how to feel about this story. It had some really good bits, but it’s not my personal type of humor. As a Dutch person I might also miss out on the typical Southern US jokes, and the characters felt a little over the top for me. I guess it was entertaining enough, but it didn’t exactly blow me away.

Interesting but not juicy

The performance of the voice actors was very good and draws you into the story. I didn’t like the ridiculousness of the story, too many things were going on and yet there seemed to be no commitment to anyone storyline.

Thoroughly enjoyable!

Thoroughly enjoyable!
Only Wish it were longer. So many questions like what did Larry wear at the end? And I didn’t catch it

Great Hamlet Revision

We all know that even Shakespeare didn't write his own plays but copied from mobile theater groups and that his versions survived for all time. Yet, if you are going to be a copy cat of a copy cat, you MUST put a spin on it that is fresh, relevant while conforming to the "original" story line. This is it! This story has drama, humor, relevance. It stands out while it's conciseness keeps the listener engaged (why do we have HAMLET movies and plays that are hours long?). The brevity makes it great for our modernized short attention deficit.

My complaint is that the protagonist's acting was a little dry. I didn't FEEL his weariness or depression over losing his abusive father. I heard it, but I didn't FEEL it, which can be accomplished in voice acting. Actually, it should be the goal in voicing dramatic books. Most of the supporting cast was good with their roles and sometimes could have used more feeling. Yet, it is the responsibility of the protagonist to carry the production.

Oh yes, another plus is that there are multiple actors. This made the story 3D.

I am not into dramas. I like action, STAR WARS, and such. I only listened because it was free and short. Yet, I am going to keep it in my library and replay it as I do with material that I like.

The writing, and the acting

WOW! an intriguing retelling of Hamlet in they completely different culture from the original.
It works! It is funny, it is sad, it is life. I love this family!

Excellent Narration!

The author did a beautiful job tackling serious themes with a ton of humor! Hilarious! The narration was phenomenal! Job well done.

Loved it!

Good fun listen! Funny & deep, with great performance from the actors! Found out later that you can watch the performance on YouTube so I may have to do that.