Fat Ham

 B+

 

James Ijames’ very free riff on Hamlet has the distinction of winning the Pulitzer Prize for Drama before it was ever seen by a live audience. Because of the pandemic, it only existed as a filmed performance by Philadelphia’s Wilma Theater. Now it is in previews at the Anspacher Theater in a completely recast co-production of The Public Theater and the National Black Theatre. All the characters are contemporary Black Southerners celebrating a recent wedding at a barbecue. The Hamlet role is given to Juicy (Marcel Spears), a chubby, soft-spoken young gay man who is pursuing an online degree in human resources. The barbecue celebrates the wedding of his mother Tedra (Nikki Crawford) and her late husband’s brother Rev, only one week after Pap’s death. Pap’s ghost appears, first to Juicy’s friend Tio (as in Horatio; Chris Herbie Holland) and then to Juicy, whom he tells that Rev arranged his death, which Juicy must avenge by killing Rev. In a nice touch, the same actor (Billy Eugene Jones) plays both Rev and Pap. The other arriving guests include Rabby (Benia Kay Thomas), an old family friend, and her daughter Opal (Adrianna Mitchell) and son Larry (Calvin Leon Smith) as in Ophelia and Laertes. As the party progresses, we are treated to a sexy song by the voluptuous Tedra, a karaoke concert, a game of charades, and a lively dance number. It is hard to classify the play; I have settled on comedy with a few tragic overtones. Unlike Hamlet, the laughs are many and the body count is much lower. While there are underlying themes such as searching for one’s authentic self and living with joy rather than anger, the action is too lively to allow much time to ponder them. The production is first-rate -- the actors, scenic design by Maruti Evans, costumes by Dominique Fawn Hill, lighting by Stacey Derosier, and sound by Mikaal Sulaiman are all excellent, as is Saheem Ali’s direction. The audience was enthusiastic – at times too enthusiastic, drowning out some of the lines. My suggestion is just to sit back and enjoy the fun without worrying about verisimilitude or coherence. You won’t be bored. Running time: 100 minutes without intermission.

The Bedwetter

A-

While I had not previously thought of Atlantic Theater Company as the go-to place for creative new musicals, I have changed my mind. The two most enjoyable musicals I have seen this year – Kimberly Akimbo and now The Bedwetter – were on the stage of their Linda Gross Theater.  When Sarah Silverman’s memoir appeared several years ago, composer Adam Schlesinger approached her with the idea of turning it into a musical. Schlesinger wrote the music, the two of them collaborated on the lyrics and Silverman enlisted noted playwright Joshua Harmon to work with her on the book. David Yazbek acted as creative consultant. The long-awaited result of their collaboration is finally here in previews and it is a hit. (Tragically, Schlesinger did not live to see it; he died of COVID two years ago.) The creative team has produced a very funny, very raunchy show with juicy roles for the nine women and two men in the cast. The music and the book are extremely well-integrated, with each song contributing materially to the action. The story describes Sarah’s (Zoe Glick) experiences when she was ten, newly arrived in a small New Hampshire town after her parents’ divorce, struggling to make friends and shamed by a bedwetting problem. Her mother (Lauren Marcus, u/s for Caissie Levy) is too depressed to get out of bed, her father (Darren Goldstein) is serially unfaithful, her older sister (Emily Zimmerman) avoids her and her grandmother (the wonderful Bebe Neuwirth) is an alcoholic. We also meet two of Sarah’s doctors (both played by Rick Crom), her teacher (Ellyn Marie Marsh), three of her classmates (Charlotte Elizabeth Curtis, Charlotte Macleod, and Annabelle Wachtel [u/s for Margot Weintraub]) and Miss New Hampshire (Ashley Blanchet). While Sarah's situation hardly sounds like a barrel of laughs, Silverman can find the humor in almost anything. Laura Jellinek’s set is efficiently versatile. Kaye Voyce’s costumes, especially the schoolgirls’, are a delight. The audience was extremely receptive. If the thought of a ten-year old mouthing expletives upsets you, this is not the show for you. If that’s not a problem, go to the Atlantic website and book your tickets now! Once word is out, this will be a very hot ticket. Running time: two hours including intermission.

POTUS or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying To Keep Him Alive

B

Selena Fillinger has to be one of the luckiest 28-year-olds in the history of New York theater. Her latest play has been given a world premiere at Shubert’s namesake theater without so much as a workshop or an out-of-town tryout. It has a top-drawer cast and a Tony-awarded director (Susan Stroman), scenic designer (Beowulf Boritt) and costume designer (Linda Cho). Surprisingly, the show has tiptoed onto Broadway with very little fanfare. And what kind of show is it? The show’s subtitle is almost a summary of the plot. The first word in the play is the C word and that sets the tone for all that follows. It’s a fun-filled, filthy, feminist farce with an all-female cast. We meet seven women in the president’s orbit: frosty first lady Margaret (Vanessa Williams), frazzled chief of staff Harriet (Julie White), frantic press secretary Jean (Suzy Nakamura), foolish receptionist Stephanie (Rachel Dratch), felonious sister Bernadette (Lea Delaria), fresh-faced girlfriend Dusty (Julianne Hough) and forceful Time reporter (Lilli Cooper). Each has a role to play in getting through one of the worst days in the mostly unseen POTUS’s presidency. The spectacular set revolves to display many beautifully realized White House’s rooms right down to the ladies’ room, complete with coin-operated tampon machine. The connecting doors get quite a workout as the manic plot winds its way. There are many good one-liners and lots of physical comedy. While the first act is a gem, the play starts to lose energy midway through the second act, straining our willingness to suspend disbelief. The musical ending seems to belong to a different show. Nevertheless, for most of the way, it’s great fun. The audience loved it. One line about abortion rights got thunderous applause. It’s hard to single out anyone in the uniformly strong cast, but the talented Ms. Hough was a revelation to me and Ms. Dratch’s antics threaten to steal the show. It’s on TDF so tickets are within reach. I guarantee you will have a lot of laughs. Running time: one hour 40 minutes including intermission.