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Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
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==Stage productions== ===Original production=== The original Broadway production, which opened at the [[Morosco Theater]] on March 24, 1955, was directed by [[Elia Kazan]] and starred [[Barbara Bel Geddes]] as Maggie, [[Ben Gazzara]] as Brick, [[Burl Ives]] as Big Daddy, [[Mildred Dunnock]] as Big Mama, [[Pat Hingle]] as Gooper, and [[Madeleine Sherwood]] as Mae.<ref name="Williams 1983 4">{{cite book|last=Williams|first=Tennessee|title=Cat on a Hot Tin Roof|year=1983|publisher=Signet|location=New York|isbn=0-451-17112-8|page=4}}</ref> Bel Geddes was the only cast member nominated for a [[Tony Award]], and Kazan was nominated for Best Director of a Play.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tonyawards.com/p/tonys_search?start=0&year=&award=&lname=Elia+Kazan&fname=&show=|title=Tony Awards}}</ref> Kazan had enormous power in the industry at the time, sufficient to convince Williams to rewrite the third act to Kazan's liking.<ref name="billington12">{{cite web |last1=Billington |first1=Michael |title=Cat on a Hot Tin Roof: Tennessee Williams's southern discomfort |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2012/sep/30/cat-on-a-hot-tin-roof |website=theguardian.com |access-date=September 5, 2022 |date=September 30, 2012}}</ref> Kazan requested that Maggie be shown as more sympathetic, the dying Big Daddy make a reappearance, and Brick undergo some sort of moral awakening.<ref name="billington12"/> Williams capitulated, but when the play was published later that year by [[New Directions Publishing]], it included two versions of act three, the original and the Broadway revision, with his accompanying "Note of Explanation". For its 1974 revival, Williams made further revisions to all three acts, and New Directions published that version of the play in 1975.<ref>[8] Williams, Tennessee. Plays 1937–1955, pp. 1034–1035.</ref> Both Ives and Sherwood reprised their roles in the 1958 film version. The cast also featured the southern blues duo [[Brownie McGhee]] and [[Sonny Terry]] and had as Gazzara's understudy the young [[Cliff Robertson]]. When Gazzara left the play, [[Jack Lord]] replaced him.<ref>{{cite book|title=Cat on a Hot Tin Roof: The Playbill for the Morosco Theatre|year=1955|publisher=Playbill Incorporated|pages=25, 27, 36, 38}}</ref> Others from the original Broadway production included [[R. G. Armstrong]] as Doctor Baugh, [[Fred Stewart (actor)|Fred Stewart]] as Reverend Tooker, Janice Dunn as Trixie, Seth Edwards as Sonny, Maxwell Glanville as Lacey, Pauline Hahn as Dixie, [[Darryl Richard (actor)|Darryl Richard]] as Buster, Eva Vaughn Smith as Daisy, and Musa Williams as Sookey.<ref name="Williams 1983 4"/> In London, the play was directed by [[Peter Hall (director)|Peter Hall]] and opened at the Comedy Theatre on January 30, 1958. [[Kim Stanley]] starred as Maggie, [[Paul Massie]] as Brick, and [[Leo McKern]] as Big Daddy.<ref>''Theatre World Annual (London)'' number nine [editor: Frances Stephens], London 1958</ref> ===Revivals=== A 1974 revival by the [[American Shakespeare Theatre]] featured [[Elizabeth Ashley]], [[Keir Dullea]], [[Fred Gwynne]], [[Kate Reid]], and [[Charles Siebert]]. Ashley was nominated for a [[Tony Award]]. For this production, Williams restored much of the text he had removed from the original at Kazan's insistence. He included a revised third act and made substantial revisions elsewhere.<ref name="Albee-Cat-p8" /> According to Ashley, Williams allowed the actors to examine his original notes and various drafts of the script, and to make additions to the dialogue. When this production moved from Connecticut to Broadway, the part of Lacey was omitted and the number of Mae and Gooper's children was reduced to three.<ref name="Williams-Cat-p13" /> In that same decade, [[John Carradine]] and [[Mercedes McCambridge]] toured in a road company production as Big Daddy and Big Mama. The 1988 London [[Royal National Theatre|National Theatre]] production, directed by [[Howard Davies (director)|Howard Davies]], starred [[Ian Charleson]], [[Lindsay Duncan]], [[Barbara Leigh-Hunt]], and [[Eric Porter]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theatricalia.com/play/5kr/cat-on-a-hot-tin-roof/production/c90|title=Production of Cat On A Hot Tin Roof | Theatricalia|website=theatricalia.com}}</ref> A revival in 1990 featured [[Kathleen Turner]], who was nominated for a Tony for her performance as Maggie, though ''[[New York (magazine)|New York]]'' magazine called her "hopelessly lost ... in this limp production." [[Charles Durning]], as Big Daddy, received a [[Tony Award]] for Best Featured Actor in a Play. [[Daniel Hugh Kelly]] was Brick, and [[Polly Holliday]] was Big Mama. Holliday also was nominated for a Tony. A 2001 production at the Lyric Shaftesbury, London, was the first West End revival since 1958. Produced by [[Anthony Page]], the production featured [[Brendan Fraser]] as Brick, [[Frances O'Connor]] as Maggie, [[Ned Beatty]] as Big Daddy, and [[Gemma Jones]] as Big Mamma. Reviews were generally positive.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thisistheatre.com/londonshows/catonahottinroof.html#2001|title=Cat on a Hot Tin Roof on stage in London starring Sienna Miller and Jack O'Connell through to 7 October 2017 - theatre tickets and information|website=www.thisistheatre.com}}</ref> A 2003 revival received lukewarm reviews despite the presence of film stars [[Ashley Judd]] and [[Jason Patric]]. Only [[Ned Beatty]] as Big Daddy and [[Margo Martindale]] as Big Mama were singled out for impressive performances. Martindale received a Tony nomination. A 2003 revival for [[Belvoir St Theatre]] was directed by [[Simon Stone]] and starred [[Jacqueline McKenzie]] as Maggie, [[Ewen Leslie]] as Brick, and [[Marshall Napier]] as Big Daddy. This production was a box office hit, with the season extended to the [[Theatre Royal, Sydney]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://belvoir.com.au/news/cat-goes-to-theatre-royal/|title=Cat goes to Theatre Royal|date=February 8, 2013|website=Belvoir St Theatre|access-date=February 12, 2018|archive-date=September 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927105458/https://belvoir.com.au/news/cat-goes-to-theatre-royal/|url-status=dead}}</ref> A 2004 production at the [[Kennedy Center]] featured [[Mary Stuart Masterson]] as Maggie, Jeremy Davidson as Brick, [[George Grizzard]] as Big Daddy, [[Dana Ivey]] as Big Mama, and [[Emily Skinner (actress, born 1970)|Emily Skinner]] as Mae. Shortly afterward, Masterson and Davidson married. In 2008, an all-black production directed by [[Debbie Allen]] opened on Broadway. [[Terrence Howard]] made his Broadway debut as Brick, with [[James Earl Jones]] as Big Daddy, [[Phylicia Rashad]] as Big Mama, [[Anika Noni Rose]] as Maggie and [[Lisa Arrindell Anderson]] as Mae. In November 2009, the production moved to London's [[West End theatre|West End]], where [[Adrian Lester]] played Brick and [[Sanaa Lathan]] played Maggie.<ref name="CatWestEnd" /> The West End Production received the 2010 [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Revival|Laurence Olivier Award for Best Revival of a Play]]. In 2010, a production of the play opened at Cambridge University's [[ADC Theatre]], and in January 2011, a production to mark Williams's 100th birthday was presented at the English Theatre in Vienna, Austria. In 2011, the play was performed at the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada, starring Maya O’Connell as Maggie and Gray Powell as Brick. This production moved to the [[Guthrie Theater]] in Minneapolis in 2012. A 2013 Broadway revival at the [[Richard Rodgers Theatre]] featured [[Ciarán Hinds]] as Big Daddy, [[Debra Monk]] as Big Mama, [[Benjamin Walker (actor)|Benjamin Walker]] as Brick, George Porteous as Sonny, and [[Scarlett Johansson]] as Maggie.<ref name="playbill1">{{cite web |url=http://www.playbill.com/news/article/170231-Benjamin-Walker-Debra-Monk-and-Ciaran-Hinds-Will-Join-Scarlett-Johansson-in-Broadways-Cat-on-a-Hot-Tin-Roof |title=Benjamin Walker, Debra Monk and Ciarán Hinds Will Join Scarlett Johansson in Broadway's Cat on a Hot Tin Roof |work=Playbill |date=2012-09-20 |access-date=2012-12-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130103134414/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/170231-Benjamin-Walker-Debra-Monk-and-Ciaran-Hinds-Will-Join-Scarlett-Johansson-in-Broadways-Cat-on-a-Hot-Tin-Roof |archive-date=2013-01-03}}</ref> A 2014 production played at [[Royal & Derngate]], [[Royal Exchange Theatre]], and [[Northern Stage]], with original music by [[White Lies (band)|White Lies]]. It featured [[Mariah Gale]], Charles Aitken, [[Daragh O'Malley]], and [[Kim Criswell]], and was directed by [[James Dacre]]. In this production, O'Malley was singled out for his performance and won an MTA Award and Stage Nomination for his portrayal of Big Daddy. The [[Berkshire Theatre Festival]] produced the play in 2016, under the direction of [[David Auburn]], with [[Michael Raymond-James]] as Brick, Rebecca Brooksher as Maggie, Linda Gehringer as Big Mama, and [[Jim Beaver]] as Big Daddy.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-06-21 |title=John Gray's Fade to Gray column: Beaver on a hot tin roof |url=https://www.troyrecord.com/opinion/john-grays-fade-to-gray-column-beaver-on-a-hot-tin-roof/article_2b6a9d02-f09a-54d0-8288-0f028d2153fa.html |access-date=2023-01-18 |website=troyrecord |language=en-US}}</ref> The [[Young Vic]]'s 2018 production, directed by Benedict Andrews and starring [[Sienna Miller]] as Maggie, [[Jack O'Connell (actor)|Jack O'Connell]] as Brick, [[Colm Meaney]] as Big Daddy, [[Lisa Palfrey]] as Big Mama, [[Hayley Squires]] as Mae, [[Brian Gleeson (actor)|Brian Gleeson]] as Gooper, Richard Hansell as Baugh, and Michael J. Shannon as Reverend, was filmed at the [[Apollo Theatre]] for [[National Theatre Live]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youngvic.org/whats-on/cat-on-hot-tin-roof-nt-at-home|title = Cat on a Hot Tin Roof}}</ref> On March 10, 2021, the filmed production was added to the [[National Theatre Live]]'s streaming service: National Theatre At Home.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Starring Sienna Miller, Joins National Theatre Streaming Service {{!}} TheaterMania |url=https://www.theatermania.com/new-york-city-theater/news/cat-on-a-hot-tin-roof-starring-sienna-miller-joins_92006.html |access-date=2023-01-18 |website=www.theatermania.com |date=10 March 2021 |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2022, the Tennessee Williams Estate granted the production company Ruth Stage the right to perform the show Off-Broadway for the first time in the play's history. The show ran to largely positive reviews for 35 performances at the Theatre at St. Clements in Hell's Kitchen. Because of the show's success, the estate granted an unprecedented re-engagement for 41 more performances at the same theatre in the winter of 2023.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.playbill.com/article/ruth-stage-and-the-little-cat-on-a-hot-tin-roof-that-can|title=Ruth Stage and the Little Cat on a Hot Tin Roof That Can | Playbill}}</ref> A London revival is scheduled to open at the [[Almeida Theatre]] in December 2024, starring [[Daisy Edgar-Jones]] as Margaret and [[Kingsley Ben-Adir]] as Brick. Further casting includes [[Lennie James]], Guy Burgess, [[Clare Burt]], Seb Carrington, Derek Hagen, [[Ukweli Roach]], and [[Ria Zmitrowicz]]. The production will be directed by [[Rebecca Frecknall]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cat on a Hot Tin Roof |url=https://almeida.co.uk/whats-on/cat-on-a-hot-tin-roof/#cast-creatives |access-date=2024-11-29 |website=Almeida Theatre |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Wiegand |first=Chris |date=2024-09-20 |title=Daisy Edgar-Jones to star in new production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2024/sep/20/daisy-edgar-jones-star-cat-on-a-hot-tin-roof-tennessee-williams-almeida-theatre-normal-people |access-date=2024-11-29 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>
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