Worse. Kitchen. Never.

Juicy, a young queer black man, has a hard time, y’all. He tries SO very difficult to mind his own business in life, but everyone around him wants something from him. His mother, for example, wants his blessing for her new marriage… to his own uncle… seven days after his father’s death.

His deceased father, who keeps popping up in spirit to harass him, wants Juicy to kill his uncle to avenge his death.

Sound familiar?

James Ijames’ Pultizer-winning “Fat Ham,” running through Nov. 3 at the Detroit Public Theater, takes Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” and remakes it with black characters at a hellish backyard barbecue where the stakes increase improbably every few minutes. Every time you think things can’t get worse, something even more horrible happens.

And SO someone brings out a karaoke machine.

For a modern retelling of a tragedy featuring extremely harsh language, visceral emotional destruction and shocking outbursts of physical violence, “Fat Ham” is surprisingly hilarious, with Ijames’ screenplay and director Brian Marable extracting the comic gold car crash horror storyline.

Duane Shabazz excels as our desperate hero, tapping into Juicy’s awkwardness in an earnest way that endears him to the audience. It’s a sensitive and winning turn that doesn’t devalue the character by playing on his “weirdness” and addresses the character’s depression with respect and empathy.

The rest of Marable’s cast is also up to the challenge. The powerful Roosevelt Johnson plays the dual roles of Pap’s exasperated ghost and despicable Uncle Rev. The role of Rev requires a huge presence; he takes up all the air in the room and his mercurial mood swings always leave the threat of raw brutality simmering on the surface. Johnson delivers a terrific, soaring performance that elicits real fear and hatred from the audience.

Niki Rochelle brings the Jackée vibe and plenty of humor as the sassy and deeply codependent Tedra, Juicy’s mother. She also gives the play much of its heart; Tedra is incredibly flawed, but her unconditional love for her son gives the audience something real and important to hold on to as everything spirals out of control.

CharlesCurtis is absolutely brilliant as Juicy’s best friend Tio (like Horatio, get it?), a wise-cracking stoner who, near the end of the show, delivers what must surely be one of the most bizarre monologues ever performed on Broadway. X’ydee Alexander as Opelia, Opal, is like a cool breeze, a kind of balanced calm between the big personalities fighting together. She brings the character to such vibrant life that you almost wish Ijames would write a second show about Opal.

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Janai Lashon is a secret weapon as Rabby, Opal’s mother and Tedra’s friend, a loud church mom who is an all-powerful hypocrite. Particularly in the last 30 or 40 minutes, Lashon steals a number of the show’s biggest laughs, creating a meal out of throwaway lines and small gestures. It’s always a joy when you can tell that someone is really having fun with their character.

Erik Hernandez has arguably the most challenging role as Larry, the son of Rabby’s Marine. The character goes through some major changes over the course of the play, but somehow feels underdeveloped in a way that undermines the power of his big moments. Still, Hernandez does well in a one-on-one scene with Shabazz that might be the most important of the series.

Kudos to the entire exceptional technical team who made these people and this place feel real, especially set designer Jeremy Hopgood, costume designer Brittany McQueen, and hair and wig designer Cornell Jermaine. Hopgood does everything but pump the smell of roast pork into the room to bring the meal to life.

There’s a lot to say about big things like mental health, generational trauma, toxic masculinity and freedom here, but the simple fact is that “Fat Ham” is a damn fun time in the theater. Check it out.

“Fat Ham” runs through Nov. 3 at the Detroit Public Theater, 3960 Third St., Detroit. Tickets are $49 and can be purchased at detroitpublictheatre.org.

Contact Free Press arts and culture reporter Duante Beddingfield at [email protected].

This article was originally published on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Public Theater’s ‘Fat Ham’ Takes You to the Barbecue from Hell