Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
City Theatre, 3823-D Airport, 524-2870
Through Aug. 15
Running time: 2 hr., 30 min.
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is a talky play. That’s not a bad thing. At his best, Tennessee Williams wrote characters who talk and talk and talk, and in the process utterly expose themselves and all their inner workings, all while believing their facades to be intact. It’s almost magical at times to see someone like Big Mama (Terri Bennett) go on and on about her love for her husband and her son Brick, yet there it is the whole time: that raging neediness, that desperation for a home and a family that can respond to her smothering affections.
The family does not oblige, however. Favorite son Brick (Tim Brown) spends the entire play drinking himself into a barely coherent daze, finding new reasons to hobble back to the wet bar despite a stage full of people informing him of his drinking problem. He’s on crutches, in one of those fantastically obvious devices that clues us in to his crippled emotional state.
Brick is joined by his wife, Maggie (Rachel McGinnis – more on her in a moment), and his parents, Big Daddy (Garry Peters) and Big Mama, who each try to avoid the reality of death as much as Brick avoids the reality of life. Then there’s Brick’s unloved brother, Gooper (Jonathan Urso), and his wife, Mae (Samantha Brewer), who together redefine the word “smug” thanks to their reproductive talents. If it weren’t for that Tennessee Williams touch that renders each and every one of these characters vulnerable and naked by the end, it would be rough going.
If you see plays regularly in Austin, then you start to see many of the same actors. It’s fun to notice patterns and styles. Then every once in a while, you might also happen to catch a performance in which an actor takes a great leap forward – where something snaps into place and really cool things happen.
With Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, McGinnis tackles the role of Maggie, a complex, needy, passionate woman of many layers, and McGinnis brings something deeply engaging and intense to the part. As Maggie, her focus is sharp and unwavering. She is cruel, but the wonderful thing about McGinnis’ work is that it’s still painfully clear how much Maggie still loves her estranged, alcoholic husband, Brick. Equally to her credit is how she allows Maggie to step back in Act II, when the face-off between Brick and Big Daddy takes over. Many actors can take on a lead role; not everyone can also be a supporting player in the same show without pulling focus. One hopes that McGinnis will continue to challenge herself.
Jeff Hinkle’s direction is a good choice for City Theatre, which often reaches out to younger directors with varying results. This production isn’t the most polished, but it’s got a strong base, and many of the people working on it are worth watching.
This article appears in August 6 • 2010.
