| Cat on a Hot Tin Roof | |
|---|---|
 First edition cover (New Directions) | |
| Written by | Tennessee Williams |
| Characters |
|
| Date premiered | March 24, 1955 |
| Place premiered | Morosco Theatre New York City,New York |
| Original language | English |
| Subject | Death,mendacity,relationships,loneliness,homosexuality,alcoholism |
| Genre | Drama,Southern Gothic |
| Setting | Brick and Margaret's room on the Pollitt plantation inMississippi |
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is a 1955 American three-act play byTennessee Williams. The play, an adaptation of his 1952 short story "Three Players of a Summer Game", was written between 1953 and 1955.[1] One of Williams's more famous works and his personal favorite,[2] it won thePulitzer Prize for Drama in 1955. Set in the "plantation home in theMississippi Delta"[3] of Big Daddy Pollitt, a wealthy cotton tycoon, the play examines the relationships among members of Big Daddy's family, primarily between his son Brick and Maggie "the Cat", Brick's wife.
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof features motifs such as social mores, greed, superficiality, mendacity, decay, sexual desire, repression, and death. The dialogue throughout is oftenwritten using nonstandard spelling intended to represent accents of theSouthern United States. The original production starredBarbara Bel Geddes,Burl Ives, andBen Gazzara. The play was adapted as afilm of the same name in 1958, starringElizabeth Taylor andPaul Newman as Maggie and Brick, with Ives andMadeleine Sherwood recreating their stage roles. Williams made substantial excisions and alterations to the play for a revival in 1974. This has been the version used for most subsequent revivals, which have been numerous.
A family in theAmerican South is in crisis, especially the husband and wife, Brick and Margaret (usually called Maggie or "Maggie the Cat"), and the crisis unspools with Brick's family over the course of one evening's gathering at the family plantation inMississippi. The party celebrates the birthday of patriarch Big Daddy Pollitt, "theDelta's biggest cotton-planter",[3] and his return from the Ochsner Clinic with what he has been told is a clean bill of health. All family members (except Big Daddy and his wife, Big Mama) are aware of Big Daddy's true diagnosis: he is dying of cancer. His family has lied to Big Daddy and Big Mama to spare them pain on the patriarch's birthday, but throughout the course of the play, it becomes clear that the Pollitt family has long constructed a web of deceit for itself.
Maggie, determined and beautiful, has escaped a childhood of poverty to marry into the wealthy Pollitts, but finds herself unfulfilled. The family is aware that Brick has not slept with Maggie for a long time, which has strained their marriage. Brick, an aging football hero, infuriates her by ignoring his brother Gooper's attempts to gain control of the family fortune. Brick's indifference and his drinking have escalated with the suicide of his football buddy Skipper. Maggie fears that Brick's malaise will ensure that Gooper and his wife, Mae, inherit Big Daddy's estate.
Over the evening, each member of the family faces the issues they have bottled up inside. Big Daddy attempts a reconciliation with the alcoholic Brick. Both Big Daddy and Maggie separately confront Brick about the true nature of his close friendship with Skipper, which appears to be the source of Brick's sorrow and the cause of his alcoholism. Brick explains to Big Daddy that the friendship troubled Maggie, who jealously believed it had a romantic undercurrent, and says Skipper took Maggie to bed to prove her wrong but could not complete the act, raising inner doubts that made him "snap". Brick also reveals that, shortly before his suicide, Skipper confessed his attraction to Brick, but Brick rejected him.
Disgusted by the family's mendacity, Brick tells Big Daddy that the report from the clinic about his condition was falsified for his sake. Big Daddy storms out of the room, leading the rest to drift inside. Maggie, Brick, Mae, Gooper, and Doc Baugh (the family's physician) decide to tell Big Mama the truth about her husband's illness, and she is devastated by the news. Gooper and Mae start to discuss the division of the Pollitt estate. Big Mama defends her husband from their proposals.
Big Daddy reappears and makes known his plans to die peacefully. Attempting to secure Brick's inheritance, Maggie tells him she is pregnant. Gooper and Mae know this is a lie, but Big Mama and Big Daddy believe that Maggie "has life". When they are alone again, Maggie locks away the liquor and promises Brick that she will "make the lie true".
Mendacity is a recurring theme in the play. Brick uses the word to express his disgust with the "lies and liars" he sees around him, and with complicated rules of social conduct inSouthern society and culture. Big Daddy says that Brick's disgust with mendacity is really disgust with himself for rejecting Skipper before his suicide. Except for Brick, the entire family lies to Big Daddy and Big Mama about his terminal cancer. Furthermore, Big Daddy lies to his wife, and Gooper and Mae exhibit avaricious motives in their attempt to secure Big Daddy's estate.
In some cases, characters refuse to believe certain statements, leading them to believe they are lies. A recurring phrase is the line, "Wouldn't it be funny if that was true?", said by both Big Daddy and Brick after Big Mama and Maggie (respectively) proclaim their love. The characters' statements of feeling are no longer clear-cut truths or lies; instead, they become subject to greater or lesser certainty. This phrase is the last line of the play as originally written by Williams and again in the 1974 version.[4]
How humans deal with death is also a focus of this play, as are the futility and nihilism some feel when confronted with imminent mortality. Similar ideas are found inDylan Thomas's "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night", which Williams excerpted and added as anepigraph to his 1974 version.[5] Thomas wrote the poem to his dying father.[6]
Additionally, in one of his many drafts,[7] in a footnote on Big Daddy's action in the third act, Williams deemsCat on a Hot Tin Roof a "play which says only one affirmative thing about 'Man's Fate': that he has it still in his power not to squeal like a pig but to keep a tight mouth about it."[7]
The original Broadway production, which opened at theMorosco Theater on March 24, 1955, was directed byElia Kazan and starredBarbara Bel Geddes as Maggie,Ben Gazzara as Brick,Burl Ives as Big Daddy,Mildred Dunnock as Big Mama,Pat Hingle as Gooper, andMadeleine Sherwood as Mae.[8] Bel Geddes was the only cast member nominated for aTony Award, and Kazan was nominated for Best Director of a Play.[9] Kazan had enormous power in the industry at the time, sufficient to convince Williams to rewrite the third act to Kazan's liking.[10] Kazan requested that Maggie be shown as more sympathetic, the dying Big Daddy make a reappearance, and Brick undergo some sort of moral awakening.[10] Williams capitulated, but when the play was published later that year byNew Directions Publishing, it included two versions of act three, the original and the Broadway revision, with his accompanying "Note of Explanation". For its 1974 revival, Williams made further revisions to all three acts, and New Directions published that version of the play in 1975.[11]
Both Ives and Sherwood reprised their roles in the 1958 film version. The cast also featured the southern blues duoBrownie McGhee andSonny Terry and had as Gazzara's understudy the youngCliff Robertson. When Gazzara left the play,Jack Lord replaced him.[12] Others from the original Broadway production includedR. G. Armstrong as Doctor Baugh,Fred Stewart as Reverend Tooker, Janice Dunn as Trixie, Seth Edwards as Sonny, Maxwell Glanville as Lacey, Pauline Hahn as Dixie,Darryl Richard as Buster, Eva Vaughn Smith as Daisy, and Musa Williams as Sookey.[8]
In London, the play was directed byPeter Hall and opened at the Comedy Theatre on January 30, 1958.Kim Stanley starred as Maggie,Paul Massie as Brick, andLeo McKern as Big Daddy.[13]
A 1974 revival by theAmerican Shakespeare Theatre featuredElizabeth Ashley (Maggie),Keir Dullea (Brick),Fred Gwynne (Big Daddy),Kate Reid andCharles Siebert and later transferred to Broadway'sANTA Theater.[14][15] Ashley was nominated for aTony Award.[16] Williams included a revised third act and made substantial revisions elsewhere.[17] When this production moved from Connecticut to Broadway, the part of Lacey was omitted and the number of Mae and Gooper's children was reduced to three.[18] In that same decade,John Carradine—who claimed to be Williams's original choice for the role in 1955—andMercedes McCambridge toured in a road company production as Big Daddy and Big Mama.[19]
The 1988 LondonNational Theatre production, directed byHoward Davies, starredIan Charleson (Brick),Lindsay Duncan (Maggie),Barbara Leigh-Hunt (, andEric Porter.[20]The Observer's theater critic Michael Ratcliffe offered qualified praise for the production, especially admiring Porter's performance as Big Daddy and the play's second act, while critiquing the first act and Duncan's speaking style.[21] In 2012,Michael Billington referred to the production as the first "British production that finally did full justice to Williams's symphonic play."[22]
Cat returned to Broadway in 1990 with a revival also directed by Howard Davies.[23] The production ran for 149 performances and grossed $6.8 million.[23]Kathleen Turner (Maggie),Charles Durning (Big Daddy), andPolly Holliday (Big Mama) each earnedTony nominations for their performances, with Durning the sole winner.[24]
A 2001 production at theLyric Shaftesbury, London, was the firstWest End revival since 1958. Directed byAnthony Page, the production featuredBrendan Fraser (Brick),Frances O'Connor (Maggie),Ned Beatty (Big Daddy) andGemma Jones (Big Mama).[25] It also included Abigail McKern—daughter of London's original Big Daddy, Leo McKern—as Mae.[25] Reviews were generally positive, especially regarding Beatty's performance.[26]
Page's production shifted to Broadway for a 2003 staging that starredAshley Judd (Maggie) andJason Patric (Brick).[27] Though it was a financial success that recouped its investment, the revival received mixed reviews.[28]Ben Brantley panned Patric and Judd's performances as stilted, but praisedNed Beatty as Big Daddy andMargo Martindale as Big Mama.[29]John Simon had greater praise for Judd—as "scrupulously dedicated"—but likewise praised Beatty and Martindale while lambasting Patric.[30] Martindale earned the show's sole Tony nomination.[31] The production closed early in March 2004—after 145 performances and an $8.9 million gross—due to Judd sustaining an ankle injury that prevented her from performing.[28][27]
A 2003 revival at theBelvoir St Theatre inSydney was directed bySimon Stone and starredJacqueline McKenzie as Maggie,Ewen Leslie as Brick, andMarshall Napier as Big Daddy. This production was a box-office hit, with the season extended to theTheatre Royal, Sydney.[32]
A 2004 production at theKennedy Center inWashington, D.C., featuredMary Stuart Masterson as Maggie,Jeremy Davidson as Brick,George Grizzard as Big Daddy,Dana Ivey as Big Mama, andEmily Skinner as Mae.[33] Shortly afterward, Masterson and Davidson married.[34]
In 2008, an all-black production by first-time directorDebbie Allen opened on Broadway.[35]Terrence Howard made his Broadway debut as Brick, withJames Earl Jones as Big Daddy,Phylicia Rashad as Big Mama,Anika Noni Rose as Maggie andLisa Arrindell Anderson as Mae. The staging was originally planned for January 1995 with Jones as Big Daddy andLloyd Richards as director, but Broadway theaters declined to host it for 13 years.[36][37]Michael Musto gave the production a mixed review.[38] Ben Brantley effusively praised Rose's performance, but labelled the revival unbalanced and "flabby."[39] The play earned no Tony nominations, whichThe New York Times identified as a trend of Tony-voters rejecting the season's productions that were led by Hollywood actors.[40] The play was financially successful, grossing $11.9 million from 125 performances.[23]The producing team announced it had recouped its $2.1 million capitalization within 12 weeks.[41]
In November 2009, the production moved to London's West End starring Adrian Lester (Brick) and Sanaa Lathan (Maggie), with both Jones and Rashad reprising their Broadway roles.[42] The West End production received the 2010Laurence Olivier Award for Best Revival of a Play and Jones received a nomination forBest Actor.[43]
In January 2011, a production to mark Williams's 100th birthday was presented with an American cast at the English Theater inVienna, Austria.[44] In 2011, the play was performed at theShaw Festival inNiagara-on-the-Lake, Canada, starring Maya O’Connell as Maggie and Gray Powell as Brick.[45]
Rob Ashford directed a 2013 Broadway revival that opened at theRichard Rodgers Theatre in January 2013.[46] FeaturingCiarán Hinds (Big Daddy),Debra Monk (Big Mama),Benjamin Walker (Brick), andScarlett Johansson (Maggie), the production ran for 86 performances as a limited engagement.[47] Producer Stuart Thompson staged the production at Johansson's request after she sought to return to Broadway following herTony win forA View from the Bridge.[48] She originally considered Williams'sThe Glass Menagerie, but didn't respond to the lead character.[48] Walker—who helped with thereadthrough ofMenagerie—suggested she fit Maggie inCat better.[48] Ben Brantley reviewed Johannson's performance as flawed, but also an "undeniable life force [...] and lifeline" for an otherwise lackluster show.[49]Newsday's Linda Winer panned Johansson's performance as too restrained, with the rest of the show "faceless, respectable, and dull."[50] The production earned $11.9 million during its run,[47] though the production team said that they failed to recoup their investment.[51]
A 2014 production directed byJames Dacre played atRoyal & Derngate (Northampton), theRoyal Exchange Theatre (Manchester), andNorthern Stage (Newcastle upon Tyne), with an original score byWhite Lies bassist Charles Cave.[52] It featuredMariah Gale (Maggie), Charles Aitken (Brick),Daragh O'Malley (Big Daddy), andKim Criswell (Big Mama).Paul Vallely praised the production for its subtlety.[53]
TheBerkshire Theatre Festival produced the play in 2016, under the direction ofDavid Auburn, withMichael Raymond-James (Brick), Rebecca Brooksher (Maggie), Linda Gehringer (Big Mama), andJim Beaver (Big Daddy).[54] A review in the local publication, The Berkshire Edge, rendered the production "questionable" and especially criticized the play's unfaithfulness to the material and Raymond-James's unsympathetic performance.[55]
TheYoung Vic's 2017 production—directed byBenedict Andrews and starringSienna Miller (Maggie),Jack O'Connell (Brick),Colm Meaney (Big Daddy),Lisa Palfrey (Big Mama),Hayley Squires (Mae), andBrian Gleeson (Gooper)—was filmed at theApollo Theatre forNational Theatre Live.[56] On March 10, 2021, the filmed production was added to the National Theatre Live's streaming service: National Theatre At Home.[57]
In 2022, the Tennessee Williams estate granted the production companyRuth Stage the right to perform the showoff-Broadway for the first time in the play's history.[58] The show ran to largely positive reviews for 35 performances at the Theatre at St. Clements inHell's Kitchen.[58] Because of the show's success, the estate granted an unprecedented re-engagement for 41 more performances at the same theater in the winter of 2023.[58]
A London revival directed byRebecca Frecknall opened at theAlmeida Theatre in December 2024, starringDaisy Edgar-Jones as Maggie andKingsley Ben-Adir as Brick.[59][60]Arifa Akbar praised elements of the production, but ultimately decreed it "a production that you admire rather than one that moves you."[61]
Thebig-screen adaptation was released byMGM in 1958 and starredElizabeth Taylor,Paul Newman,Judith Anderson, andJack Carson, withBurl Ives andMadeleine Sherwood reprising their stage roles. Critics said that film censors and directors diminished the motion picture's authenticity.[10] TheHays Code limited Brick's portrayal of sexual desire for Skipper and diminished the play's critique of homophobia and sexism. According to critic Emanuel Levy,George Cukor was initially assigned to direct the film, "though issues of censorship—homosexuality in particular—prevented him from doing it".[67] DirectorRichard Brooks's version was criticized for toning down the play, specifically eliminating the homosexual theme.[67] The film substituted hazy hero-worship for Williams's strong suggestion of homosexuality.[67] Williams was reportedly unhappy with the screenplay, which removed almost all the homosexual themes and revised the third act section to include a lengthy scene of reconciliation between Brick and Big Daddy. Paul Newman, the film's star, also stated his disappointment with the adaptation.
The film was highly acclaimed and was nominated for severalAcademy Awards, includingBest Picture.Elizabeth Taylor andPaul Newman both receivedOscar nominations for their performances.
In 1976, aTV version was produced, starring the then husband-and-wife team ofNatalie Wood andRobert Wagner, and featuringLaurence Olivier as Big Daddy andMaureen Stapleton as Big Mama.
In 1984, anotherTV version was produced byAmerican Playhouse, starringJessica Lange,Tommy Lee Jones,Rip Torn,Kim Stanley,David Dukes, andPenny Fuller. This adaptation, directed byJack Hofsiss, revived the sexual innuendos that the 1958 film muted. Both Stanley and Fuller were nominated for theEmmy Award forOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries, and Stanley won.
The 2016 Bollywood movieKapoor & Sons drew its inspiration from the play.
A new film adaptation was announced in 2021, withAntoine Fuqua directing and producing. The producers of the 2008 Broadway revival, Stephen C. Byrd and Alia Jones-Harvey, will also produce.[68]
| Year | Award ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | New York Drama Critics' Circle | Best American Play | Tennessee Williams | Won |
| Pulitzer Prize | Drama[note 1] | Won | ||
| 1956 | Tony Award | Best Play | Nominated | |
| Best Actress in a Play | Barbara Bel Geddes | Nominated | ||
| Best Director | Elia Kazan | Nominated | ||
| Best Scenic Design | Jo Mielziner | Nominated | ||
| Year | Award ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Tony Award | Best Actress in a Play | Elizabeth Ashley | Nominated |
| Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Actress in a Play | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Set Design | John Conklin | Nominated |
| Year | Award ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Tony Award | Best Actress in a Play | Kathleen Turner | Nominated |
| Best Featured Actor in a Play | Charles Durning | Won | ||
| Best Featured Actress in a Play | Polly Holliday | Nominated | ||
| Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Revival | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | Charles Durning | Won | ||
| Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding Revival of a Play | Won | ||
| Outstanding Actor in a Play | Charles Durning | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Actress in a Play | Kathleen Turner | Nominated | ||
| Year | Award ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Tony Award | Best Featured Actress in a Play | Margo Martindale | Nominated |
| Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | Ned Beatty | Won | |
| Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play | Margo Martindale | Nominated | ||
| Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | Ned Beatty | Won | |
| Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play | Margo Martindale | Nominated | ||
| Drama League Award | Distinguished Revival of a Play | Nominated | ||
| Year | Award ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | James Earl Jones | Won |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
