Cynthia Erivo Joins Producing Team for Fat Ham Ahead of Broadway Opening Night (EXCLUSIV

Publish date: 2024-01-11

Tony, Emmy and Grammy-winner and Oscar-nominee Cynthia Erivo has joined the producing team of “Fat Ham” as the Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy heads to Broadway.

“Fat Ham” will begin performances on Tues., March 21, and officially open on Wed., April 12, at the American Airlines Theatre on Broadway for a strictly limited 14-week engagement through Sun., June 25.

“Almost 10 years ago, I was introduced to the Broadway community in a musical that shook my world and changed my life irrevocably,” Erivo said in a statement to Variety. “I have been waiting for the right opportunity to return to the theater community and am thrilled to be back, this time as a first-time producer with ‘Fat Ham.’”

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Written by James Ijames and directed by Saheem Ali, the reinvention of William Shakespeare’s masterpiece “Hamlet” centers on a queer Southern college student named Juicy (played by Marcel Spears), who, according to the official synopsis, is “already grappling with some serious questions of identity, when the ghost of his father shows up in their backyard, demanding that Juicy avenge his murder.”

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“But here’s the rub!” the synopsis continues. “Revenge doesn’t come easy to Juicy, a sensitive and self-aware young Black man in search of his own happiness and liberation. From an uproarious family cookout emerges a compelling examination of love and loss, pain and joy.”

The complete original off-Broadway cast returns, including Nikki Crawford (Tedra), Chris Herbie Holland (Tio), Billy Eugene Jones (Rev and Pap), Adrianna Mitchell (Opal), Calvin Leon Smith (Larry) and Benja Kay Thomas (Rabby).

Erivo joins a producing team which includes Rashad V. Chambers, No Guarantees and Public Theater Productions. Andy Jones and Dylan Pager will serve as executive producers. Last month, Colman Domingo signed on as a co-producer.

“Fat Ham” was commissioned by and received its world premiere as a filmed production at The Wilma Theater in Philadelphia, Penn. and Ijames went on to win the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play made its New York premiere in a critically acclaimed sold-out run — from May 12-July 31, 2022, including a six-week extension — at the Public Theater (Oskar Eustis, artistic director; Patrick Willingham, executive director), co-produced with the National Black Theatre (Sade Lythcott, CEO; Jonathan McCrory, executive artistic director). The Broadway transfer of “Fat Ham” represents National Black Theatre’s first production on Broadway, and only the fifth play to be transferred by a Black theatre in Broadway’s century-long history.

“I saw the production last summer off Broadway and absolutely fell in love with it,” Erivo added. “In addition to this being a unique and wonderful show, it’s also a celebration of representation, of queerness, of Blackness, of humanity, of love, of loss, of storytelling. I hope that it touches audiences the same way it touched me and continues to bring people back to theater. I look forward to seeing you all there soon.”

Erivo, of course is busy filming “Wicked” in London, starring as Elphaba opposite Ariana Grande’s Glinda in the musical feature directed by Jon M. Chu. Last week, the filmmakers announced that “Wicked Part 1” will hit theaters on Nov. 27, 2024, instead of bowing over Christmas. For now, the second installment is set to release a year later on Dec. 25, 2025.

In addition to the highly anticipated musical, Erivo recently starred opposite Idris Elba in “Luther: The Fallen Sun,” which debuted at No. 1 on Netflix, with more than 65.9 million hours viewed and among the top 10 films in 93 countries. Her next film “Drift,” in which she stars and produced via her company Edith’s Daughter, premiered to rave reviews at the Sundance Film Festival in January.

Erivo is represented by UTA, Authentic Talent and Literary Management and The Lede Company.

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