Play by Tennessee Williams
Curve, English Touring Theatre & Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse co-production
At Curve: 3 – 18 September 2021 and then touring
“a toxic look at American Deep South sensibilities”
Once again Curve is the launch pad for a new national touring production. This time it is the classic Tennessee Williams’ Cat On A Hot Tin Roof directed by RTST Sir Peter Hall Director Award winner Anthony Almeida.
Following on from the success of Curve’s A Streetcar Named Desire, this is a similarly toxic look at American Deep South sensibilities in the 50’s.
Three couples within the same family are warring with each other. Brick (Oliver Johnstone) and Maggie (Sienna Kelly) are stuck in a childless, loveless marriage as Brick turns to drink to hide from truths. Maggie is in turn desperate and manipulative trying to get a reaction from her husband who is recovering from a broken ankle.
Eldest son of the family, Gooper (Sam Alexander), is browbeaten by his wife Mae (Shanaya Rafaat) who has born him 5 children with one on the way. In Gooper’s eyes this should make him top dog in the family but Brick is, despite his wayward ways, the chosen one.
Head of the family, Big Daddy (Peter Forbes), has been in hospital being tested for cancer. His wife, Big Mama (Teresa Banham), inveigles the entire family to lie to him and pretend he only has a spastic colon.
Thus the scene is set for all manner of chicanery as the various couples manoeuvre to become the heirs to the family fortune. The various couples fight each other very like the protagonists in Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf, one minute tearing chunks out of each and the next wooing their partners. It makes for a whirlwind of emotions.
The cast is completed with Suzette Llewellyn as Dr Baugh and Minal Patel as Rev Tooker
Director Anthony Almeida makes great use of the various characters talking and shouting over each other to illustrate how none of the parties ever actually listen to each other.
Despite being written in 1955 Cat On A Hot Tin Roof addresses questions about sexuality with Brick and others examining his relationship with his late best friend Skipper.
The set has been pared right back to a simple circular mosquito net enclosing a table. That’s it. But designer Rosanna Vize uses the curtains to suggest a whole house. The lighting helped enormously.
Cat On A Hot Tin Roof runs at Curve until 18th September and then tours to Liverpool, Canterbury, Ipswich and Southampton
Curve https://www.curveonline.co.uk/
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