Connecticut & The Berkshires - "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof"

Regional Reviews: Connecticut and the Berkshires

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Music Theatre of Connecticut
Review by Zander Opper | Season Schedule

Also see Fred's reviews of The Prisoner, Thousand Pines and Zander's review of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Photo: Michael Raver and Andrea Lynn Green
Photo by Heather Hayes

Music Theatre of Connecticut is currently presenting a strong and very well-acted production of Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. What's more, this company has elected to stage the original Broadway version of the classic play. So, for those who only know Cat on a Hot Tin Roof from the film, or the oft-produced revised version, this production is something of a revelation, and seems to be much franker and more explicit than what I have seen it before. This production practically sizzles onstage and the entire company of actors is impressive. Director Kevin Connors has staged this production with razor-sharp precision and, considering how intimate the theatre is at Music Theatre of Connecticut, one almost feels, at times, like part of the action onstage.

No matter what version of Cat of a Hot Tin Roof one might use when reviving this play, if the leading characters aren't portrayed well, the whole show will sink. Fortunately, this Cat on a Hot Tin Roof comes up all aces. The first act belongs chiefly to the character of Maggie, and Andrea Lynn Green gives a scorching and luxurious performance in this role. Dressed in just a slip, she prowls the stage and she fully earns being referred to as "Maggie the cat." Her portrayal is incisive, powerful and sexy. At the start, Michael Raver, as Maggie's husband Brick, clad in a towel and on crutches, seems to just serve as a sounding board for Maggie. But don't let that fool you. Raver's performance is a slowly simmering one, as he takes drink after drink, trying to feel the "click" in his head that will give him peace. His Brick builds strength as the play progresses, to the point that his presence onstage, especially in the second half, becomes as fiery and significant as Green's Maggie.

Cynthia Hannah as Big Mama is a heartbreaker in this show, particularly Big Daddy speaks to her so cruelly near the end of the first act. She seems to be completely devastated after this vicious scene, but Hannah gives the character a real spine, and she comes back fighting, both for her place in the family and as a woman who refuses to crumble, no matter what she is faced with. Frank Mastrone's Big Daddy is entirely her equal, and then some, giving perhaps the most outstanding performance in the show. Faced with the prospect that he may be dying of cancer, Big Daddy is a tower of strength throughout and Mastrone is most effective in his lengthy scene with Raver's Brick in the second half. Through the dialogue between father and son, the elements of homosexuality and Brick's close relationship with his deceased friend Skipper come to the forefront.

The rest of the company, even with these four very strong leads, still makes an impression, particularly Robert Mobley as Brick's brother Gooper, and Elizabeth Donnelly is a real fussbudget, with an edge, as his conniving wife Mae.

The physical production is also splendid, with remarkable work by scenic designer Kelly Burr Nelsen and ideal costumes provided by Diane Vanderkroef. The lighting design, by Michael Blagys, is prominent and appropriate for the show, almost shaping each scene.

It's great to see this play presented in its original Broadway version, and that alone would make this production something of a must see. Yet director Kevin Connor and his blazing cast at Music Theatre of Connecticut leave a searing mark on Cat on a Hot Tin Roof that truly lingers.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, through November 18, 2018, at Music Theatre of Connecticut, 509 Westport Ave., Norwalk CT. For tickets, please visit www.musictheatreofct.com or call the box office at 203-454-3883.