Theatre Review - Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
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Daisy Edgar-Jones (Maggie) and Kingsley Ben-Adir (Brick) [Marc Brenner] |
TENNESSEE Williams’s Cat on a Hot Tin Roof explores a dysfunctional family in free fall. Set in the 1950s, the Pollitts have gathered to celebrate the birthday of Big Daddy (Lennie James) a wealthy plantation owner.
Rebecca Frecknall’s perfectly-pitched staging builds in intensity as we meet the various characters. In the opening scene Maggie (Daisy Edgar-Jones) questions her husband Brick (Kingsley Ben-Adir) about their lack of marital relations and children.
Brick was once a promising footballer. Following the death of his beloved friend Skipper, he found solace in the bottle. Now the only thing that moves Brick is an empty whisky decanter.
His father, Big Daddy, has been diagnosed with cancer and is unaware that it’s terminal. As the only heirs with children, Brick’s brother Gooper (Ukwelie Roach) and wife Mae (Pearl Chanda) expect a generous settlement. They’ve brought along some legal documents for Big Daddy to sign, just in case.
A grand piano and ticking metronome dominate Chloe Lamford’s set. The pianist (Seb Carrington), presumably the ghost of Skipper, plays discordant chords as he witnesses the family’s descent into a hell of their own making. We learn Big Daddy was an overseer before he took on the cotton plantation and his ruthlessness is quickly revealed in the compelling central act. He treats his wife Big Mama (Clare Burt) with the same disdain Brick shows Maggie.
The stellar cast give it their all as secrets and lies are laid bare and we move inexorably towards the play’s tragic conclusion.
Until February 1
almeida.co.uk
Originally published by Islington Tribune