Press Release: 2nd Wednesday Theater Presents “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” at Cotuit Center for the Arts

Cotuit Center for the Arts’ 2nd Wednesday Theater presents a staged reading of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” by Tennessee Williams on Wednesday, November 14, at 7:30 PM. Vana Trudeau directs.

It’s Big Daddy’s birthday and his family has gathered at his opulent plantation home to celebrate his birthday and clean bill of health from the doctor. But all is not as it seems. Big Daddy’s sons and their wives have lied to him and their mother, Big Mama, about his health. His oldest son, Gooper, and wife Mae, who have multiple no-neck monster children, know that Big Daddy is dying and try to get him to agree to a will in their favor. Favored son Brick, a former football hero, is drinking much too much, morose over the recent suicide of his best friend Skipper.

And Maggie, Brick’s wife, feels like a cat on a hot tin roof. She’s desperate for Brick to make love to her, hoping to conceive a child that will ensure their continued favored position in this dysfunctional family.

“Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” addresses not only complicated family relationships, but also greed, infidelity, sibling rivalry, sexual tension, homosexuality, repression, superficiality, social mores, and the pros and cons of mendacity. As Brick says, “A family crisis brings out the best and the worst in every member of the family.”

“‘Cat’ offers a delicate portrait of the social norms of early modern America, and the devastating effects they had on those who fell outside those norms,” said Trudeau. “Williams reveals the deadly trap of Brick and Maggie’s marriage, and Maggie’s desperate attempt to squeeze herself and her husband into a mold they clearly do not fit.”

The cast includes Beau Jackett as Brick, Samantha McMahon as Margaret (Maggie), Jo Hull Brisbane as Big Mama, and R. Michael Wresinski as Big Daddy. Stephen Ross appears as Gooper, Brick’s brother, with Gretchen Pope as his eternally fertile wife, Mae.

“Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1955. It was substantially revised in 1974.

Second Wednesday Theater is a monthly play-reading series of rarely performed classics, undiscovered gems, and exciting new works. Admission is free, and wine is available.

Cotuit Center for the Arts is at 4404 Route 28 in Cotuit. For more information, visit artsonthecape.org or call 508-428-0669.

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What:

2^nd Wednesday Theater presents “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” by Tennessee Williams

Where:

Cotuit Center for the Arts, 4404 Route 28, Cotuit

When:

Wednesday, November 14, 7:30 PM

Admission:

Free

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