Tennessee Williams is indisputably one of the 20th Century’s finest playwrights. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is one of his best known and his personal favorite. A masterpiece of human emotions, it explores the lies that people hide behind until they have no choice but to face the truth. Maggie and Brick are trapped in a tortured marriage, surrounded by a dysfunctional family and a dying patriarch. Williams brings them all together for Big Daddy’s birthday party where celebration is in short supply as mendacity mixes with prickly truths that threaten to unravel the family.
“This play was in rehearsal when the pandemic closed our doors for the next 18 months,” said Playhouse Executive Director Madison Mooney. “It was set to open in April 2020. Even though we had to wait nearly two years, we are all thrilled to present this masterpiece to our audiences.”
“The strength of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is its unflinching momentum in peeling back the layers of its characters,” said Sean Gray, Playhouse Producing Artistic Director. “Williams writes in a way that draws us into the story and into its southern setting. We can feel the humidity infused with tension and longing that emanates from Maggie along with the clarity of Big Daddy’s war on mendacity.”
Originally chosen to direct the 2020 production, and now only a week away from opening night, Sharyn Case says it feels like a theatrical miracle that most of the actors cast two years ago were able to return to their roles.
The 10-member cast features a mix of returning actors and those making their debuts. Returning actors are: Jason Cook, Gaelyn Wilkie, Rick Kopps, Michelle Miller-Day, Hillary Weintraub, and Jim Perham. Those making their Long Beach Playhouse debuts are: Keith Bush, Taylor Goss, Bella Dorman, and Sophia James Zavala.
“The audience is going to love this show, said Mooney. “And we thank the Port of Long Beach for its generous sponsorship of our opening nights!”
The show opens February 26 and runs through March 26, 2022.
Special Events For This Play:
• Pay what you can Thursday February 24 – community can see this production for whatever they can afford
• Friday Two-for-One February 25 All Tickets $10
• Opening Night Champagne Reception with cast on February 26 – Tickets are $27.00
Ticket Prices
Friday: Adults are $20, Seniors $18, and Students $14
Saturday and Sunday: Adults are $24, Seniors $21, and Students $14.
Tickets are available at www.lbplayhouse.org, or by calling 562-494-1014, option 1.
Long Beach Playhouse is located at 5021 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach, CA, 90804, right across from the Long Beach Recreation golf course. The Playhouse is community-supported theatre with programs and events that cut across age, gender, ethnic, and cultural boundaries.
Performances are 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. The box office is open Wednesday-Saturday from 3 to 8 p.m. and Sundays from 1-2 p.m. on scheduled matinees.
Covid-19 protocols require proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test result within the past 72 hours, wearing a mask while in the facility and voluntarily assuming all risks related to potential exposure to the Covid-19 virus.
