Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is a 1955 American drama written by Tennessee Williams . It is considered one of his greatest works and won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1955.
The play takes place in the southern United States on the birthday of Big Daddy Pollitt, a wealthy cotton tycoon who is unaware that he is dying of cancer. The play centers on the dysfunctional relationships within the Pollitt family, particularly between Brick, Big Daddy's favorite son, and Maggie "the Cat", Brick's wife.
Brick is a former football hero who has become an alcoholic and withdrawn from life after the suicide of his close friend, Skipper. Maggie is a beautiful and determined woman who feels unfulfilled in her marriage and desperately wants a child. The couple's strained relationship is further complicated by the arrival of Brick's resentful brother Gooper and his conniving wife Mae, who are eager to inherit Big Daddy's fortune.
As the night unfolds, secrets are revealed, lies are exposed, and the characters are forced to confront their own desires and failures. The play explores themes of family legacy, desire, truth, and the destructive power of secrets.
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof has been adapted into a successful film starring Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman, and continues to be performed around the world. It is a classic of American drama that offers a powerful and timeless look at the human condition.
| 1955 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
| 1974 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
| 1990 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
| 2003 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
| 2008 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
| 2009 | West End |
London Revival West End |
| 2013 | Broadway |
Broadway |
| 2017 | West End |
West End Revival West End |
| 2022 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway |
| 2023 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway Production Off-Broadway |
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | James Earl Jones |
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