Cat on a Hot Tin Roof a play; by Tennessee Williams

Presented by Actors Theatre of San Francisco

Watch the trailer!

One of the most acclaimed productions of the 20th century, Cat on A Hot Tin Roof tells the drama of seething passions that beset a wealthy Southern family whose lives are stripped of pretense in a shattering moment of revelation. Winner of the 1955 Pulitzer Prize, the piece was an instant phenomenon during its original Broadway run and has been called “The masterpiece that changed American Theatre forever”. A film adaptation in 1958, starring Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman, was nominated for 6 Academy Awards.
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is the story of a Southern family in crisis, focusing on the turbulent relationship of a husband and wife, B...read morerick and Maggie Pollitt, and their interaction with Brick's family over the course of one evening gathering at the family estate in Mississippi, ostensibly to celebrate the birthday of patriarch and tycoon "Big Daddy" Pollitt. Maggie, has escaped a childhood of desperate poverty to marry into the wealthy Pollitt family. The favored child, Brick, has neglected Maggie and ignores his brother's attempts to gain control of the family fortune. Brick's indifference and his near-continuous drinking dates back to the recent suicide of his friend Skipper. Big Daddy is unaware that he has cancer and will never live to see another birthday; his doctors and his family have conspired to keep this information from him and his wife. His relatives are in attendance and attempt to present themselves in the best possible light, hoping to receive the definitive share of Big Daddy's enormous wealth.
Mendacity is a primary theme in the play. Moreover, Cat on A Hot Tin Roof revolves around the lies in the aging and decaying Southern society. With the exception of Brick, the family lies to Big Daddy and Big Mama, as does the doctor. Big Daddy lies to his wife. The play alludes to the presence of homosexuality in Southern society and examines the complicated rules of social conduct in this culture. Tennessee Williams himself was unclear about the nature of Brick's feelings for his friend Skipper while developing different versions of the play.