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15 thoughts on seeing "Fat Ham" by James Ijames

I got to see the Goodman Theatre production of this play on Saturday, February 15th. 

  1. Overall, great experience
  2. I feel like I should read "Hamlet" now (for those who don't know, "Fat Ham" is a reimagining of "Hamlet") and see what it adds to my understanding of "Fat Ham"
  3. I wonder, for instance, if there was queer subtext in "Hamlet" or if that was just James Ijames's take
  4. Impressive how much can be done with, essentially, one space (I say essentially because sometimes you'd see or hear characters set back in the house which sort of did and sort of didn't feel like a second space to the backyard)
  5. There was great humor to the play which helped balance some of the darker moments
  6. Tio (the Horatio character) was especially funny, but that also made his moments of seriousness more profound
  7. I was a bit confused by the ending, but luckily I attended with two very smart ladies who helped me suss it out
  8. Still though, a few parts of the ending didn't resonate with me as much as I expected (even after discussion)
  9. However, the message that we interpreted as choosing your own ending and choosing to reject the rigidity of tragedy was quite meaningful
  10. The costumes, while mostly not complex, did a lot to convey the perspectives and personalities of the characters (for instance, Opal--the Ophelia character--taking her hoodie on and off told us a lot about her)
  11. I thought it was clever to have Rev (the Claudius character) and Pap (the deceased Hamlet Sr. character) played by the same actor so that those characters would be visually connected and shown to be, perhaps, more similar than either Rev or Pap would like
  12. The actors directly addressed the audience at times which worked well for me as it brought us in
  13. Using music and dancing was a welcome element to the play
  14. Theater week provides a valuable opportunity to see plays you may not normally (that's how we got tickets)
  15. I didn't mind leaning over on the balcony to get a better view (this play was worth the lean in)

(Prompt by me)



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