The Royal Shakespeare Company has announced the cast for the European première of James Ijames’ examination of loss, pain and joy, Fat Ham.
Olisa Odele will make his RSC debut as Juicy. He played Isom in Katori Hall’s The Hot Wing King at the National Theatre in 2024 and was McKay in Crongton Knights, Emteaz Hussain’s adaptation of Alex Wheatle’s novel, which went on a UK tour in 2020.
Also making their RSC debuts are Andi Osho, who will play Juicy’s mother Tedra, and Sule Rimi, who will take the dual roles of Juicy’s father Pap and his uncle Rev. Rimi was nominated for an Olivier Award for his role as Sam in Blues For An Alabama Sky by Pearl Cleage at the National Theatre in 2022.
The rest of the company comprises Jasmine Elcock (Opal), Denver-Isaac Kwashe (off-stage understudy), Sandra Marvin (Rabby), Richard McIver (off-stage understudy), Corey Montague-Sholay (Larry), Florence Odumosu (off-stage understudy) and Kieran Taylor-Ford (Tio).
The play features Juicy, a queer college kid from the American South who is grappling with some serious questions of identity. His uncle Rev has just married his mother when the ghost of his father shows up at a family barbecue, claiming that Rev had him killed, and demanding that Juicy avenge his murder. Reminiscent of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the story may be familiar, but what is different is Juicy himself, “a sensitive and self-aware young black man trying to break the cycles of trauma and violence in service of his own liberation”.
Ijames said, “I’m thrilled to have my play première at the RSC. This is a dream of a moment. Stratford is the perfect place to bring Fat Ham with an absolutely superlative cast. I hope the play brings a lot of people joy.”
Originally co-produced off-Broadway by The Public Theater and National Black Theatre, Fat Ham was initially directed by Saheem Ali. The play will be directed for the RSC by Sideeq Heard.
The creative team includes Maruti Evans (set designer), Dominique Fawn Hill (costume designer), Bradley King (lighting designer), Mikaal Sulaiman (sound designer), Darrell Grand Moultrie (choreographer), Earon Chew Nealey (hair and wig designer), Skylar Fox (illusions), Lisa Kopitsky (original fight director) and Christopher Worrall CDG (casting director).
Fat Ham will run in the Swan Theatre, Stratford from Friday 15 August until Saturday 13 September. Press night will be Wednesday 20 August.