Brilliant cast powers Colorado premiere of James Ijames’s Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy.

Fat Ham is most easily described as a reimagining of Hamlet from a Black, Southern point of view, which it certainly is. But ultimately James Ijames’ Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy is more about breaking out of the cycles of violence and trauma that define the original troubled teen from Denmark.

In a powerhouse new production now up at the Aurora Fox, donnie l. betts directs a truly phenomenal cast as notable for its leads as it is for its supporting actors. Add to the clever, wildly original script a tight package of set, lighting, sound and costumes and the result is a complete night of theatre that breaks far from the norm of what you may have seen before.

As the sort-of Hamlet, Sa’Daiveon Newell shines as Juicy — a queer young man as baffled by his own path as he is by his whack-a-doo family. At the top of the show, he and his frenetic buddy Tio (a hilarious and compelling Antonio Minino in the Horatio-ish role) are setting up for a modest wedding reception in the backyard. This is, of course, the union of Juicy’s mother Tedra (Adrienne Martin Fullwood) with his uncle Rev (Don Randle).

Pap, the father, we learn has been shanked in prison, and he appears to Tio in a ridiculous ghost costume (sheet, eye holes, etc.), which he quickly doffs when he reappears shortly thereafter to Juicy.

Randle plays Pap as well, appearing from the fog in an inspired all-white prison jumpsuit and do-rag. Compared to Shakespeare’s original regicide victim, Pap is highly vocal about his plight and the path of revenge he wants his “soft” son to take. It’s a pair of strong performances by the veteran Randle, playing two unpleasant, irascible characters with just enough daylight between them to make each distinct.

Adrienne Martin Fullwood, Don Randle and Sa’Daiveon in ‘Fat Ham.’ | Photo: RDGPhotography

The soft center at the heart of ‘Fat Ham’

Newell is presented with the challenge of depicting a low-key, soft-spoken and aimless young man and making him interesting. He more than succeeds, delivering a bravura performance anchored in Ijames’ compelling script and presenting a grounded center to the frenetic, self-absorbed character surrounding him. Juicy alone also has the superpower of addressing the audience directly — usually with material from the original Hamlet served up at appropriate moments. (His “What a piece of work is man” is particularly compelling, especially given his chosen major in online college: human resources.)

Like Hamlet, Juicy is a fence sitter for much of the action as he seems content to watch what unfolds among the rest of the family. These include his cousin Larry (Jozeph Mykaels) as the Laertes approximation and his sister Opal — our Ophelia — played with firecracker enthusiasm by a superb Nadiya Jackson. If Juicy is uncertain about how to present his sexual orientation, these two are even more in the weeds.

Larry is a soldier, and he shows up in his uniform to the proud delight of his mother, Rabby (a delightfully batty Latifah Johnson in the Polonius spot). He later confesses his own homosexuality to Juicy in a complex emotional scene that illustrates Juicy’s own importance as non-judgmental confidante. Rather than fighting Laertes, this Hamlet is more interested in finding common ground wherever it may lie. When Opal pops off about her own affinity for women, it’s almost an afterthought as the younger generation strives to distance itself from the elders as much as possible.

Sa’Daiveon Newell, left, and Antonio Minino in ‘Fat Ham’ | Photo: RDGPhotography

Generation gap

Central to the action is just how clueless the parents are about the world their children now inhabit. Pap may have been a murderous asshole rotting in prison, but Tedra doesn’t give a moment’s consideration as to how Juicy might feel about his death and her immediate betrothal to Rev. Oh, and that money they’d set aside for his college tuition? Blown on a bathroom remodel at Rev’s insistence. Who needs college anyway, Rev suggests, and what the hell is human resources? Tedra doesn’t leap to defend her son, laughing off the loss of the money as Juicy glares at her.

Fullwood is tremendous as Tedra — a gleefully uncaring hedonist who hardly bats an eye when Rev, in turn, meets his end. Along with Rev, Pap and Rabby, she comes across as a two-dimensional figure who’d rather sing karaoke than confront truths and demons.

Meanwhile, it’s Tio who delivers the play’s rawest punch with a stoned monologue about getting head from the gingerbread man. Twisted details aside, the message he delivers is one of love, acceptance and a desire to break away from the violence and other conflicts that define the earlier generation.

The uniform excellence of the cast, donnie l. betts’ assured, cinematic direction paired with this exceptional script — a Colorado premiere — make Fat Ham one of the best shows onstage this season so far. It’s a homage to Hamlet, for sure, but also very much its own highly original story that leans into some of the original’s dark territory but eventually breaks from it with an inspired brightness that offers hope — even as it emerges from the most dysfunctional family imaginable.