Happy Dog Takes On the Reimagining of American Theatre

Through February, the stage production of Fat Ham will premiere at the Cleveland Playhouse. It’s a cleverly hilarious retelling of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet through the eyes of “Juicy,” a Southern Black mama’s boy during a backyard cookout. It unapologetically centers Black joy and flips masculinity on its head. For many, the play’s premise might cause a casual reader to double-take. Yet, the production won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize winner for drama and was nominated for five Tony Awards including Best Play. This summer, England’s Royal Shakespeare Company itself will stage the European premiere.

From Hollywood film to literature and theatre productions–contemporary spins on classics are not a new concept. These reinterpretations often reach new audiences, create new models for artistic production, and create space for entire communities.

Join us at the Happy Dog as Cleveland Public Theatre’s Raymond Bobgan and Karamu House’s Nina Domingue discuss what happens when artistic creativity challenges convention.