Sam Harris Brings ‘Ham’ From Life, to Book, to Stage

Sam Harris. – Courtesy photo

By Nathaniel Cayanan

If you look online, you’ll find a video montage of performer Sam Harris singing a soulful rendition of the song “Over the Rainbow.” It starts with a youthful, mullet-headed Harris, looking like a diplomat of the ‘80s, in his star-making performance on “Star Search.” It then jump cuts to him in a bright, neon jacket a few sizes too big, then to him on different stages throughout his career, and finally to him in his later years. While it has been more than three decades since that performance, which put him on the map of the entertainment world, it’s clear in this video that Harris has preserved a voice and a presence that is still as lively and soulful.

A born entertainer, Harris has had a storied career. He’s earned a Motown contract deal and has multiple studio albums under his belt. He’s performed in New York, London, the White House, an array of award-winning shows on and off Broadway such as “The Producers,” “Cabaret,” and “Hair,” and on the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. He’s even produced the song “My Reclamation,” which has come to be known by many as the anthem for marriage equality.

But as diverse as his career has been, it pales in comparison to the interesting life he’s lived, a life that is detailed and explored in both his book, “Ham: Slices of Life: Essays and Stories” and the show it inspired, “Ham: A Musical Memoir.”

In the book, Harris shares his triumphs as a performer, as well as his struggles as a child living in conservative Oklahoma, a gay youth who dreamed to be in front of an audience, and as a father to his and his husband’s adopted son, all the while maintaining an animated, humorous tone.

Many of these themes of identity, fame, and family are also explored in the stage version of the book. Asked how the adaptation came about, Harris explains, “When the book came out, rather than do readings in the book stores or libraries, I was doing it in theatres. So, I would read a story and I would sing a song. I took my musical director, the brilliant Todd Schroeder, and we did a song and a piece.”

The Todd Schroeder he refers to is the show’s musical director. Schroeder, along with directors Billy Porter and Ken Sawyer, helped Harris adapt “Ham” from page to stage, forming a show that’s more than just a reading of Harris’ 16-essay book. In fact, instead of just narrating to the audience about the stories and people who’ve influenced his life, he actually plays them.

“I don’t just talk about the black church that I went to, where I found music that influenced my life,” he says. “I now play an 80-year-old black woman. I play my New York, very ‘Jewish-y,’ mentor guy who really changed my life. I play my father. I play myself at three years old, at five years old, at 15, at 16, and older. I play my mother. I play a tranny. They were just stories in a book and now they’re real life characters.”

Harris (who has nowadays traded his mullet for a clean crew cut) will offer a limited engagement of three shows at Pasadena Playhouse on July 9 and 10. The producers promise a show that has been called “joyful,” “hilarious,” and one that “will bring you to tears.” But why the title that makes us picture pink meat with a honey glaze? Harris responds, “You know what a ham is. It’s someone who loves to perform.”

This is probably why he says with incredible pride, “I’m a ham.”

The Pasadena Playhouse is located at 39 S. El Molino Ave. Information about admission can be found at the box office, by calling (626) 356-7529 or by going to their website www.pasadenaplayhouse.org.

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