Review: CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF at The Bent

Whether or not you have seen the stage version or the film version of Tennessee Williams' classic Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, the production at The Bent at the Palm Springs Cultural Center is worth another go. The show runs through October 24.

Despite the public controversy when it premiered on Broadway in 1955, the three-act play won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the New York Critics' Circle Award. Set in 1955 southern Mississippi, the story focuses on family dynamics, social attitudes of the era, raw sexuality, and and repressed homosexuality. Under Terry Ray's innovative direction and the additional backstory, the cast deliver powerful performances that shed even more light on those issues.

The family, each with their own agenda, has gathered at the Pollitts' 28,000-acre plantation to celebrate the 65th birthday of the family patriarch. The key word is "mendacity."  In the story's context, the connotation is the inability to face the truth about one's personal issues--to oneself and others. 

Branda Lock is authentically seductive as Margaret (Maggie the Cat). a poor young woman who married into the wealthy Pollitt family. Now, her husband Brick is no longer interested in her persistent attempts to rekindle their sexual relationship. Justin McEneny portrays the distant, emotionally paralyzed Brick, once a college football star but now a bitter alcoholic because of his past relationship with his best friend Skipper.  Elijah Olachea appears as the dead Skipper in Brick's memory. 

When I first saw Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, I was confused about whose story it was. In this production, Act Two is definitely Big Daddy's story.  Masterfully performed by Michael Pacas, Big Daddy embodies the key word mendacity while portraying the imperious husband and father who is in denial about his terminal illness.  Sonia Reavas as Big Mama artfully projects her character's strengths and weaknesses and is an exceptional counterpoint to her domineering husband.

Then there is rest of the family:  Brother Man or Gooper, the Pollitt's older son, and a very, very pregnant Mae or Sister Woman, already the mother of five obnoxious children. Jason Ayestas' Gooper and Jessica Lenz's Mae, aware of Bid Daddy's imminent death, hover around Big Mama, fawn over Big Daddy, insult Maggie and Brick, and exude greed--all to protect their financial interests. Well done, both of you. 

On October 19, The Bent is holding their first fundraiser, which promises to be an exciting event.  You can still get tickets online.  For more information about the current production, upcoming productions, and to purchase tickets for the fundraiser, please visit thebent.org.