
Below is a scene from the play between Maggie and Brick from the official Almeida Theatre’s YouTube Channel.
Daisy Edgar-Jones:
“I’m so excited to work with Kingsley, I’m so excited to work with Rebecca and it’s just such a brilliant play. It feels so fresh and modern, I think Tennessee is just so amazing at these inter-personal dynamics. Performing at the Almeida is the absolute best, I think it will feel like everyone is in the bedroom with us and also very intimate ” – Almeida Theatre YouTube Channel
Kingsley Ben-Adir:
“This individual was a lot of fun, he speaks a lot. It’s gonna be a whole variety of different experiences. There’s so much humour in there in a way, that’s genius because people wanna laugh as well as cry. It feels like the perfect sized space and the perfect amount of people, I can’t wait. ” – Almeida Theatre YouTube Channel
Rebecca Frecknall:
“It feels to me like Cat (On a Hot Tin Roof) is about truth and lies .” – Almeida Theatre YouTube Channel
From the moment Daisy Edgar-Jones does her first speech, she exudes a power, fire, and passion. She showcases a visceral energy coming from the soul of a woman whose in internal despair that she still loves her husband, but his heart is not with her any more. It fully captures the spirit of Maggie ‘The Cat’ Pollitt, the socialite striving for something greater, while trying to navigate her husband no longer being in love with her. She is relentless, determined, and resilient, despite the constant pressure to give birth to an heir, and conform as a woman in an era where woman were deemed as second class citizens. She may have come from poverty but she is immensely educated and ferocious . While Brick is an alcoholic, constantly seeking solace in various expensive bourbons, he’s very cold-hearted towards his wife, grating and introverted demeanor is stone cold with the pressure of his family weighing down on him. He’s chasing and reminiscing on his past glories of being a former sports star, has turmoil with his family, especially confronting the homosexuality that was dealt by his friend Skipper who committed suicide, and was also in love with Brick which Maggie always felt. He has an extremely difficult relationship with his father Big Daddy, despite being the prodigal son, which extends to his brother and mother. Kingsley Ben-Adir manages to balance the vulnerability and piercing emotion with a man internally broken diving deep to find the internal pain of Brick Pollitt. The colours and simplicity of the stage production beautifully mixes and balances with the performances on stage. The icey blues, cold grey/silver and golden yellowy, amber lighting, I felt perfectly matched the powerful and fiery spirit of Maggie Pollitt and the cold withdrawn introspective of Brick Pollitt’s feelings towards his wife who still loves him and is attracted to him versus his opposite feelings of no longer having sexual attraction to her is a nice contrast. At the same time, there is an underlying comedic element throughout the play that balances with the serious subjects and drama, which still reflect our current society.

Official Almeida Theatre Synopsis:
CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF
By Tennessee Williams
Directed by Rebecca Frecknall

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