Upon entering the theater, we need only see the columns, and draped translucent silk upstage, to realize we’re in the realm of Tennessee Williams’ gothic fantasia. His blend of decadence and lyricism. The Classic Theatre Project’s current production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, comes from a place of respect, but not awe. Certainly Cat lambastes the duplicity connecting civility and actuality; conformity and defiance. Williams revels in the tawdriness of Brick and Maggie’s predicament. They’re both so gorgeous, they should be together. But Brick can only bear to live with his wife by staying drunk. Brick is patriarch Big Daddy’s favorite. But since older brother Gooper and Mae are spawning like salmon, they’re next to inherit. Succession all that matters.
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is set in Brick and Maggie’s bedroom. Brick’s leg is broken, his hair still wet from the shower. He’s wearing pyjamas, moving on crutches, and tying one on. He barely acknowledges Maggie’s account of Mae and Gooper’s obnoxious tribe of “kiddies”, a trashy incident at a parade, her father-in-law ogling her at supper. Maggie has left Big Daddy’s birthday party to change her dress. The celebration will move to their room, as Brick’s cast makes mobility difficult. Big Mama interrogates Maggie during Brick’s brief disappearance. She wants to know why they are childless.
Once the guests have migrated, Big Daddy roars and whoops it up, full of piss and vinegar. They’ve just discovered his cancer prognosis is negative, so he’s feeling rowdy. It takes him awhile to notice the estrangement between his younger son and his wife. Behind his cantankerous exterior, it troubles him to see Brick in such pain. When he confronts Brick about his alcoholism, he pushes Big Daddy away, owing him no explanations. The ghost of a friendship that ended horribly, between Brick and his buddy Skipper arises.
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof might be seen as Tennessee Williams’ sardonic take on heterocentrist culture, and the virulent, demanding code of male behavior. Fertility and progeny are ruthlessly mocked. Brick and Maggie have been relegated to the bedroom shared by Jack Straw and Peter Ochello : the lovers and original owners of the plantation. Maggie is a climber, and Big Mama a buffoon. Big Daddy is a vindictive, grotesque caricature of male libido, his shameless bestiality its own justification. He despises Big Mama, his wife of 40 years, who adores him. Brick is on the other side of this contentious virility. He’s quiet, flawlessly athletic, keeping his rage on ice.
TCTP‘s Cat is fierce, relentless, overwhelming. They’ve turned a difficult script into a lightning rod. Williams requires much of his actors. Lines like: “I even loved your hate,” and “What is the victory of a cat on a hot tin roof?” verge on melodrama. Director Susan Sargeant sparks vital performances from her cast. She makes intriguing choices. The way Maggie intuitively, provocatively lies across the bed. The male children mentioned but never seen. The way Gooper’s voluminous wife looks ready to pop. Olivia Cinqueplami walks a tightrope between frantic conversation and casual seductiveness. She’s heartbreaking and profoundly affecting. Joey Folsom is cool and detached, but grief comes unmistakably through the high octane buzz. The flame may be teetering, but it’s there. Terry Martin is a formidable, intimidating Big Daddy. Lulu Ward as the fragile, yet boisterous Big Mama is splendid. The best I’ve ever seen in that role.
The Classics Theatre Project presents Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, playing through September 11th, 2022. Water Tower Theatre (black box) 15650 Addison Road, Addison Texas 75001. 972-450-6232. www.watertowertheatre.org