Review: 30 x Ninety Theatre Presents CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF

Well folks, this is it. You've got one weekend left to get on over to 30 x Ninety Theatre for their presentation of the Tennessee Williams classic CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF. And you should get on over there for this production. Trust me, this is an experience you don't want to miss!

I went into this show with absolutely no expectations, but in the best kind of way. I had no idea what CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF was about even though I've heard the famous play's title many times over. Nope, I haven't even seen the movie. I know, I know... shocking, isn't it?! So for all of you out there who, like me, were completely unfamiliar with this classic... here's my summary:

There's this dysfunctional family that consists of Brick - our resident drunk who drowns his washed out hopes and dreams in alcohol; Maggie - Brick's lonely, envious, manipulative, and self-absorbed witch of a wife; Big Daddy - Brick's vulgar, rich, southern father; Big Mama - Brick's sincere mother who considers him her only son and who is oblivious to Big Daddy's distaste for her; Gooper - Brick's lawyer older brother who somehow is hated by the whole family and hates them in return; Mae - Gooper's mean-spirited baby making machine of a wife; Reverend Tooker - the hypocritical reverend friend of the Pollitt family who attend's Big Daddy's birthday "celebration;" and Doc Baugh - Big Daddy's doctor.

The family finds out on Big Daddy's birthday that he has been diagnosed with a terminal form of cancer, although this fact is hidden from Big Mama and him for quite a while. As the birthday celebration ensues, we find out that Brick has taken to the bottle and his marriage to Maggie is failing. She wants to be adored by him again and to have a baby, but all he adores is alcohol. Then we've got Gooper who is secretly (or not so secretly) happy about his father's diagnosis, and he and his wife Mae are trying to take ownership of the plantation after Big Daddy's passing. Basically it's one big unhappy family, who are all cynical, bitter, and just plain old nasty.

If the 30 x Ninety cast did anything well, it was deliver a fantastic production that made me hate every single character. But, again, in a good way. I have a hard time having sympathy for people like these characters, and each of the actors played their parts so well that when I left the theater I wasn't sure if I hated the characters or the actors themselves! You know you have a good cast when the acting doesn't seem like they're acting at all. The performance that took the cake for me was Rex Badeaux as Big Daddy. I honestly don't think I've liked and hated a character so much at the same time ever before in my life. I found myself cringing every time he made an appearance on stage!

The only two who I maybe had a little sympathy for were the convincing Susan Kaufman as Big Mama and Robert Simpson as Gooper. I felt bad that Big Mama devoted her entire life to Big Daddy and their family, and Daddy is so disgusted by her that he outwardly makes fun of her. No one should be spoken to that way. I also felt bad that she was apparently so naïve to think that he didn't actually mean what he was saying to her. As far as Gooper is concerned, I can't blame him for being happy about his dad's illness and pending death or for wanting to take over the plantation. He grew up hardly being acknowledged by his parents as their son since his baby brother Brick took all of the glory, and for them to want the plantation to go to the irresponsible drunk of the family had to be a big blow for him.

And then there's Emily Carmadelle as Maggie the cat. Oh my goodness gracious what perfect casting! I honestly don't even know what more there is to say except that I don't think a sassier yet classier bombshell of a person could have nailed this role any better than Ms. Carmadelle. My hat's off to you, and I hope to see more from you soon!

Seriously, though... get yourself over to 30 x Ninety for a quality production. It's rare to find community theatre as good as this!

ARTICLE MAY ALSO BE VIEWED HERE: http://www.nolabackstage.com/single-post/2016/09/20/BWW-Review-30-x-Ninety-Theatre-Presents-CAT-ON-A-HOT-TIN-ROOF

To post a comment, you must register and login.