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.”
This weekend I’m willing spring weather to stop its flirting and commit. Wherever you are, whatever the season, I hope you’ll be able to get outside, to check out what’s happening. In Detroit, there’s a new production of Anthony Davis’s first opera, “X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X.” In Las Vegas, Lauryn Hill, Usher and TLC headline the Lovers & Friends festival. There’s a grilled cheese festival in Sacramento. A three-week arts festival in Brussels. In New York, there’s a piano bar revival underway. (The song that makes the whole room go wild? Vanessa Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles.”)
You could think about planning a trip for the coming months. Perhaps a storied resort in Mexico? A nightlife tour of Ibiza? Have a look at what’s new in Rome. And in outer space. Or stay right where you are, make breakfast for dinner with one of our 24 egg recipes (Melissa Clark chose a favorite below) and take in a dreamy depiction of Ireland in Sally Rooney’s “Conversations with Friends,” debuting Sunday on Hulu.
What do you have planned for the weekend? Tell me about it.
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THE WEEK IN CULTURE
Gyeran bap (egg rice)
A few days of sustained glorious weather in New York gave me a bad case of spring fever, making me want to spend all my time outside, and not, as is more often the case, in the kitchen. This is when eggs come to the rescue. Not only are they a symbol of springtime, they’re also quick, easy to cook and so versatile, as the latest special package from New York Times Cooking, a celebration of eggs, proves. Take, for example, Eric Kim’s smart gyeran bap (egg rice). At the center of this Korean pantry meal are two brown-butter-fried eggs, basted with sesame oil and soy sauce that condense and caramelize. He suggests plopping the puffy-edged eggs onto hot rice and topping with gim (roasted, seasoned seaweed). But I also like to slide them onto buttered toast, then eat them out of hand outside on the stoop, while I still can.
Dallas Mavericks vs. Phoenix Suns, N.B.A. playoffs: The Suns had the N.B.A.’s best record this season. It seemed as if their veteran point guard, Chris Paul, might finally get a championship. Then they ran into Luka Doncic. The Mavericks’ 23-year-old superstar is so good that it sometimes looks like he’s taking on the other team by himself. The Suns haven’t figured out a way to stop Doncic; they’ve got one more chance. Game 7 is 8 p.m. Eastern on Sunday on TNT.
