Theatre Review: CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF: An electrifying tale of family secrets and deceit

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I had the pleasure and privilege of watching the iconic play from legendary American playwright Tennessee Williams ‘Cat On a Hot Tin Roof’ at the well renowned Almeida Theatre in London, Islington on a Saturday evening on December 14th 2024. Starring British rising stars Kingsley Ben-Adir (Barbie, One Night in Miami), Daisy Edgar-Jones (Good People, Twisters) and popular veteran British actor Lennie James (The Walking Dead, In the Line of Duty) lead a very talented ensemble cast of actors (pictured below). Whenever I go to the theatre, I want to be captivated and moved and this performance did just that and more. Set in the 1950’s in the deep south and heat of Mississippi, it tells the story of a powerful married couple Brick and Maggie Pollitt of the wealthy Pollitt family, who are basically at a crisis point in their marriage. They host a birthday party of the family patriarch Big Daddy Pollitt (Lennie James) playing Brick’s father. The show is exhilarating, intense, and electrifying, which is amazing considering that this show is over three hours long with intervals. Kingsley and Daisy have lighting in a bottle chemistry, fully showcasing their growing star power which beautifully balances with all the other actors on stage, whom all show their talents for the audience clearly to see. This play premiered on December 10th 2024 and finishes its run at the intimate 325 seat capacity Almeida Theatre on February 1st 2025. As I write this article, the cast are performing their last show at the Almeida Theatre. Every show has been a sell out and I’ve had the privilege and fortune to watch it twice, seeing it once again on January 15th 2025. The whole British cast do really good deep south accents, which is helped by the illuminating writing, making it feel amazingly modern and current in these times, and is well adapted in this version’s take by Rebecca Frecknall.

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

The cast of Cat On a Hot Tin Roof getting a standing ovation during their curtain call at the Almeida Theatre in London.

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