CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF Reviews- Page 4

[A Director]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 3:25am

aaronssong - You are being a flack for Debbie Allen. Please, I haven't been dazzled by resumes for many years. I grant you that Ms Allen has lots of experience, the majority of it has been on television and in musicals. Directing for television is different from directing for the theatre. What is missing from what you posted and from her playbill bio is any experience is directing dramas. There are several versions of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof; none of them are comedies or musicals.

There are some directors who direct both plays and musicals and are successful in both. It seems that Ms. Allen isn't one of these directors. By the way, has Ms Allen ever directed a musical?

Except for Mr. Howard, the cast of this production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof has lots of theatre experience. Too bad, they don't have a director worthy of their talent.

[TonyaFanatic]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 3:39am

"For some posters to try to discredit this production and Ms. Allen's direction of it, by suggesting that her past work was a source of ridicule, is beyond boundaries of "civility" and "decency". Talk about "this production"...talk about the pacing, talk about mood....talk about the bizarre "bluesy" horn solo, and the pros and cons of it...but where does her past come into the discussion? She's here. She's now. It's reality. It's historic.
And in the footnotes of the archives won't be any of the negative commentary featured in this blog. Debbie Allen, come what may, will have a legacy. Some of you need to go where they know your name, if possible."

Two snaps and twist, bitches...

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 4:34am

I adored this revival (mostly due to an excellent text that even Trevor Nunn couldn't diminish, and a career-defining turn by Anika Noni Rose who is the glue that holds the production together), but the way Aaronssongs is trying to battle BigFatBlonde's arguments are simply childish and crass.
BFB is expressing an opinion in a very classy manner (BFB is probably one of my favorite posters on the board precisely 'cause of this classy manner) and is supporting every argument with solid thoughts. Why be so immature about someone expressing contradictory opinions about a piece?

[aaronssongs]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 10:48am

"aaronssong - You are being a flack for Debbie Allen. Please, I haven't been dazzled by resumes for many years. I grant you that Ms Allen has lots of experience, the majority of it has been on television and in musicals. Directing for television is different from directing for the theatre. What is missing from what you posted and from her playbill bio is any experience is directing dramas. There are several versions of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof; none of them are comedies or musicals.

There are some directors who direct both plays and musicals and are successful in both. It seems that Ms. Allen isn't one of these directors. By the way, has Ms Allen ever directed a musical?

Except for Mr. Howard, the cast of this production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof has lots of theatre experience. Too bad, they don't have a director worthy of their talent."


My dear "A Director" ( of what we don't know, do we?),
My relationship to and with Debbie Allen is no concern of yours. "Flack" I am not. Suffice to say, that there is a climate in this country, the pending presidential election notwithstanding, where the undercurrent of racism, which has been a part of the fabric of this nation from its' humble beginnings, is "bubbling to the surface", "uncomfortably", but long overdue. You cannot deal with "an infection" by pretending it is not there. And trust me, "the patient is ill".
Ironic that Ms. Allen represents two minorities( that of being "black" and being "female"), and evidently, there exists not only a "corporate" glass ceiling", but "cultural and artistic" glass ceilings, as well. Well, didn't she just cause them both, in 'one fell swoop', to come "tumbling down"?

Where is the law written that prevents one from traversing across mediums? There are many actors, directors, technicians and artists who travel effortlessly between mediums all the time.
And you want to make "an example" of Ms. Allen? Well, doesn't that immediately "smack" of both racism and sexism?
I heard BigFatBlonde throw out several directors names, whom she thought would have been better, and more importantly, "appropriate".....except, they were all "white men". How expected.
Perhaps as the political landscape changes, and we return to "common sense", decency and fairness....perhaps we can hope the same for the theater, which has always been about "artistic freedom", possibilities, and, well, "art".

[aaronssongs]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 11:03am

"I adored this revival (mostly due to an excellent text that even Trevor Nunn couldn't diminish, and a career-defining turn by Anika Noni Rose who is the glue that holds the production together), but the way Aaronssongs is trying to battle BigFatBlonde's arguments are simply childish and crass.
BFB is expressing an opinion in a very classy manner (BFB is probably one of my favorite posters on the board precisely 'cause of this classy manner) and is supporting every argument with solid thoughts. Why be so immature about someone expressing contradictory opinions about a piece?"


Well, says quite a bit about you, that you couldn't direct your comments to me, personally. In any event...don't be confused. This is merely a blog, and not that entertaining of one, to be truthful.

And forgive my "childishness and crassness"...I'm normally not that way, but I had to "lower myself" to BigFatBlonde's "classy" level, in order to make a point.
And talk about "crass", not to mention "poor taste", I have never heard of someone being so loose as to allude to female genitalia in order to appear "flip". Now, if that's your idea of "being classy", then you are right in sync with your inexperienced, immature "youth"...you're all of "21", aren't you?
Got a lot of living and learning to do, whippersnapper.

[dry2olives]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 11:29am

I heard BigFatBlonde throw out several directors names, whom she thought would have been better, and more importantly, "appropriate".....except, they were all "white men". How expected.

George C. Wolfe is black.

[aaronssongs]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 12:11pm

Of course. I stand corrected.

[ScottyDoesn'tKnow]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 1:45pm

You know, I agree that there is still an undercurrent of racism and sexism in this country and a lot of it is institutionalized to the point that many don't notice unless they are a victim of it. Being Asian-American, I've faced racism from all sides.

However, I find the continuing complaints of racism for the sole purpose of defending Debbie Allen's work to be not only wrong (for the most part) but actually spits in the face of true victims of subtle racism because continuing to cry about it without giving real substance to back it up will just make it harder for anyone else to be taken seriously when they find themselves the victim of racism.

You still haven't answered the criticisms of Debbie Allen's work in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. I mean I know that your original anger had to do with some not giving Debbie Allen a chance just because of her past work experiences, which is understandable. However, have you actually seen it? Plus, nobody says she can't try to do other forms art or entertainment, but the complaint about her being a choreographer is coming from the way she chose to direct Cat in a Hot Tin Roof, so for the person making the statement, it is relevant.

[LimelightMike]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 2:23pm

What is this thead coming to???

The ONLY reason why I bumped the thing up was to get more insight and opinion on the revival playing the Broadhurst. I have tix for the show (June 11) and cannot be more excited to be 'experiencing' it up-close and in-person.

Come'on now! ENOUGH with the back-and-forth. Opinions are opinions, to each his/her own. Let's leave it at that, people. Stay ON-TOPIC, pllleeeeeaaase and thank you!

Best,
- Mike

[BigFatBlonde]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 5:10pm

dry2olives,

I tried to pm you with this.. but.. here goes..

Thank you.

BFB

Updated On: 3/16/08 at 05:10 PM

[A Director]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 7:50pm

aaron - How nice you are defending your cousin Debbie Allen. On the other hand, given that Ms. Allen is a professional, she should be judged by those standards. Or, do you want people to cut her some slack because she's a black woman?

By directing this production, Ms. Allen didn't break any glass ceilings. Rachel Crothers (1878-195 directed her own plays on Broadway. In 1998, Garry Hynes won the Best Director Tony for The Beauty Queen of Leenane. She was the first woman to win the Award. Have you ever heard of Vinnette Carroll (1922-2002)? In 1973, she was the first African-American woman to direct on Broadway. She was nominated for Best Musical Director for that show, Don't Bother Men, I Can't Cope. She was also nominated for the award for her work on Your Arms Too Short to Box With God.

Now before you blow a fuse, I believe there should be more women directors on Broadway. Heck, there should be more women directors in theatre.

[BigFatBlonde]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 8:26pm

Cousin? Ha!

If true, that brings a whole new meaning to his term "home training."

[nmartin]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 8:41pm

This is slightly off-topic, but I've only seen the movie version of Cat. Does the play mention May being in a parade in Memphis and getting spat upon from the Gayoso Hotel?

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 8:47pm

Yes, it does.

[nmartin]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 9:04pm

Thanks, Ray. I just wondered if that was part of William's original script.

[aaronssongs]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 10:43pm

aaron - How nice you are defending your cousin Debbie Allen. On the other hand, given that Ms. Allen is a professional, she should be judged by those standards. Or, do you want people to cut her some slack because she's a black woman?

By directing this production, Ms. Allen didn't break any glass ceilings. Rachel Crothers (1878-195 directed her own plays on Broadway. In 1998, Garry Hynes won the Best Director Tony for The Beauty Queen of Leenane. She was the first woman to win the Award. Have you ever heard of Vinnette Carroll (1922-2002)? In 1973, she was the first African-American woman to direct on Broadway. She was nominated for Best Musical Director for that show, Don't Bother Men, I Can't Cope. She was also nominated for the award for her work on Your Arms Too Short to Box With God.

Now before you blow a fuse, I believe there should be more women directors on Broadway. Heck, there should be more women directors in theatre.

Director,
In all fairness, I have not seen the production.
But since it garnered "mixed reviews", I find it hard to fathom the "nastiness" leveled at Ms. Allen. How bad could her direction be? Is the production in danger of closing anytime soon? Are reports of a "full house" idle rumor? Somebody somewhere is "lying".
Debbie Allen is known for her professionalism, and I'm most certain she'd want to be judged as such, no more, no less.
And of course I don't want any affirmative action going on in the theater. There are far too many talented artists of color, that only need their abilities to speak for them.

I remember the dire predictions for The Color Purple, and the accusations of "audacity" and "cluelessness" aimed at Oprah Winfrey, for underwriting such an undertaking...I just detect a pattern...which probably is nothing more that the "green-eyed monster", raising its' ugly head. All I'm calling for is "fairness", nothing more, nothing less.

[aaronssongs]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 11:00pm

There are some directors who direct both plays and musicals and are successful in both. It seems that Ms. Allen isn't one of these directors. By the way, has Ms Allen ever directed a musical?

In response to your query, Ms. Allen has directed the musicals "Brothers of the Knight", "Alex in Wonderland", both at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

"Cat" was not Debbie Allen's first direction of a drama...
PBS HOLLYWOOD PRESENTS, part of an ongoing drama initiative, premiered in April 2001 with the critically acclaimed production of “The Old Settler,” starring Phylicia Rashad and Debbie Allen, and directed by Ms. Allen.
http://www.pbs.org/hollywoodpresents/theoldsettler/index.html

[I like mike]

Posted: 3/22/08 at 3:03pm

Went to Cat Saturday night. Whole family enjoyed it. I would agree with some of the criticism about certain parts though. Anika Noni Rose's performance in Act 1 was worth the effort. Everyone around us seemed to enjoy the show. A lot of the allure by some seemed to be the all-star cast though. Still glad we got to see this presentation of a classic story.

[Depaultheatrekid]

Posted: 3/22/08 at 6:01pm

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof : WOW! Seeing my Idol James Earl Jones was far more rewarding than I ever thought it would be! first off, Anika was in rare form from the top of the show. Her maggie is a must see. Her levels and the way she handles endlessly caring that first act with almost no help from howard she is simply extraodinary. I guess they must have settled into the roles or the groove of the show because all of the things I read about it being extremely comical and like a black sit-com were not apparent Wednesday night at the theatre to me. There were places of inappropraite laughter but not at all throughout most of the play. Many of the dramatic poignant moments landed and made the audiences think as oppose to laugh. Terrence does a good job of playing brick. He had a few moments that I really loved, not at all my favorite Brick but a nice debut on the stage. Phylicia Rashad is a powerhouse and a force to be reckoning with. Like her or not I have never seen this woman on stage where she doesnt steal the show. As I had assumed, Phylicia portrayal was DEAD ON( I read the script on the plane from Chicago).....her choices were not at all over the top and if they were it worked to perfection. She embodied a woman like my grandmother who is a rich southern black woman. Her vocal choices were annoyingly perfect and spot on.....I could not get enough. James Earl Jones bellows in a way only he can and commands his time onstage with Terrence. Watching him made me think debbie just let him do what he wanted to do and it worked so she didnt bother it. There were moments when all the actors could have been pushed further but I feel they lacked the direction needed to drive home the intensity in certain moments. Overall I thought the show was great and I would say RUN over to the Broadhurst this one is definately not to be miseed!

At the stage door: Anika reconized my girlfriend and I from myspace. We had a nice chat she was lovely and very sweet. Shes the nicest ever and the first out of the stage door,A Broadway Legend in the making for sure! Terrence mentioned they didnt go as deep as they usually do tonight, I didnt really know what that meant other than he was apologizing for not feeling adequate onstage.LOL Not trying to be mean I just didnt know why he offered that info lol. Phylicia was gracious and in lovely spirits at the stage door, very cheerful but visably tired and slightly hoarse.

Updated On: 4/2/08 at 06:01 PM