When “Fat Ham,” James Ijames’s adaptation of “Hamlet” set in the American South, debuted last year as a streaming-only production from Philadelphia’s Wilma Theater, my colleague Jesse Green lauded it as “the rare takeoff that actually takes off.” This week, “Fat Ham” won the Pulitzer Prize for drama and began in-person performances at New York’s Public Theater.
Until I get to see it, I’m listening to the companion playlist Ijames and the play’s director, Saheem Ali, have curated on Spotify; it includes selections from Emily King, Radiohead and Joan Armatrading. Why not make it the soundtrack for your week?
Another contender: Kevin Morby’s “This Is a Photograph.” Grayson Haver Currin deems it “a confident 45-minute sashay through vulnerable devotionals and existential reflections, tuneful folk and handclap soul.” Or make it Bad Bunny’s “Un Verano Sin Ti,” and keep it on repeat all summer.
You could also just stick with a Pulitzer theme and cue up Kendrick Lamar’s new album, his first in five years. (He won the Pulitzer for music in 2018.) Then listen to the poet Ada Limón sharing a work by this year’s winner in poetry, Diane Seuss, and check out Limón’s new collection, “The Hurting Kind.”