Eric W. Maher as Brick and Alan Madlane as Big Daddy in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." Photo: Matrix Theatre Company
For a playwright working in the mid 1950s, Tennessee Williams tackled a controversial issue in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" that likely shocked the sensibilities of polite theatergoers everywhere. Homosexuality, of course, is now a popular topic in mainstream news and entertainment, but gay men in the mid 20th century were hiding as deeply in the closet as they possibly could for fear of arrest and prosecution – or worse. What's more, Williams didn't rely on the standard stereotypes of the day for his work – the effeminate gay man, the hairdresser or the dancer. Instead, he crafted a tale about a married jock – a double whammy, if you think about it – and the result earned him the 1955 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
So while the shock value of "Cat" has been lost in the intervening decades, Matrix Theatre's current production of the "bedroom drama" still resonates today because of the universal truths Williams addresses. After all, greed, lies and alcoholism are not exclusive to any one particular sexual orientation!
Nor are family problems, as Williams reveals in the first of three acts. With Big Daddy Pollitt seemingly dying of cancer, eldest son Gooper and his wife, Mae, are trying to finagle their way into the old man's will so that his 28,000-acre Mississippi estate will fall into their hands upon his death and not into those of his brother Brick and his wife, Maggie. Traveling the same road – but playing for the opposing team – is "Maggie the Cat," as she refers to herself. Brick – the favored son – couldn't care less; he spends most of his waking hours heavily drinking, the result of the recent death of his best friend and former pro football teammate, Skipper.
Lies and deceptions play out from all corners of the household, of course. But how far is someone willing to go to win the ultimate battle?
That's the million-dollar question Williams' delivers in this still-great and powerful American classic. In the first act, Williams sketches the background his audience needs for the gut-punching heart-to-heart talk Brick has with his father in the second. Finally, power plays are made and the sneaky cat's dance across the hot tin roof pays off in an unexpected – yet foreshadowed – revelation that can't help but make you wonder, "What happens next?"
Alas, we'll never know. But this I CAN tell you: Matrix Theatre's production at the YMCA Boll Family Theatre in Downtown Detroit brings Williams' rich and complicated characters to life in an engaging production that delivers most of the bang, but without some of the sizzle.
The most notable problem appears quite early in the production – caused by an equal mix of directorial interpretation and actor's craft. Early in the first act we learn that Brick (Eric W. Maher) and Maggie (Kristine Wakefield) have not been sleeping together. Brick will not divorce her, but tells her to go ahead and have an affair to satisfy her sexual needs. Maggie, however, loves Brick – or at least his potential inheritance – and tries to seduce him. So as written by Williams, one might expect a rather steamy attempt by a sly and manipulative Maggie to have her way with her husband. Yet there was nary a sexy spark on opening night. In fact, rather than playing Maggie as a seductive temptress and cunning plotter, there were moments when Wakefield (a rather beautiful actress) came across as slightly maniacal and somewhat melodramatic – which certainly aren't the same things.
The heat, however, is certainly generated by director Wes Nethercott in the razor-sharp second act. Featuring a lengthy discussion between Brick and Big Daddy (Alan Madlane) – interrupted a handful of times by various members of the nosy family – Maher and Madlane play off one another quite well, and the two create the most riveting moments of the entire production. (Madlane, in Big Daddy's more pensive moments, needs to project a little more, however.)
The show's final act has some excellent work by Nancy Kammer as Big Mama and the delightful Jan Cartwright as Mae, but the late hour seemed to take the steam out of the opening-night production as it moved along to its conclusion. And occasional traffic issues on stage seemed problematic as well.
The minimal set by Maher – Brick and Maggie's bedroom where all the action takes places – is defined only by door frames to suggest the walls. The design enhances the production by allowing a clear view of the outside and nearby sections of the house from which the (occasionally secretive) comings and goings commence. And while there's an irritating dark spot downstage left, Randall Mauck's storm and fireworks are quite effective!
REVIEW:
'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'
Matrix Theatre Company at YMCA Boll Family Theatre, 1401 Broadway, Detroit. Friday-Sunday through Nov. 14. $15. 313-967-0599. http://www.matrixtheatre.org.
