My thoughts on Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (spoilers)

[osage08]

Posted: 4/26/08 at 10:21pm

This was an amazing production! Just feeling the stage presence of James Earl Jones was worth it. He played a powerful Big Daddy although we could feel the insecurities he tries to hide about the illness everyone tries to keep from him and state of his family and of Brick in particular. He had great chemistry with Boris Kodjoe (Brick) and Phylicia Rashad (Big Mama).
Phylicia Rashad was equally awe-inspiring in her role as Big Mama. It was moving to watch as she was caught between trying to take control of her household while stuck in the shadow of a hard and overpowering husband. I was almost moved to tears towards the end of Act III when she asks Big Daddy if she can sit with him on the roof to look over their plantation.
Anika Noni Rose played a sexy and catty Maggie. It was easy to feel her frustration while trying to maintain the image of a happy marriage with an alcoholic husband who ignores her and her proud and demeaning in-laws.
I wasn't very familiar with Boris Kodjoe but he stepped into the difficult role of Brick very well. I could feel his sense of disillusionment amid desperate failed attempts to hold on to a dying youth. His desperation while battling an alcohilic dependency and nearly questioning his own sexuality was also quite moving.
I'm sorry for rambling but I was just very excited by this production!
My only slight complaint was that it was sometimes hard to decipher the southern accents, especially towards the beginning (before I got a bit more used to it). This could just be me though.
My only major complaint was the audience. The audience was extremely rude and disruptive. Anika even had to step out of character twice as a result. The first time was during Act I when a cell phone went off and she simply stared at the owner until he/she shut it off. The second time was a few minutes later. She stepped out of character during a dialogue with Brick, turned around and asked "Should I wait?" until the audience quieted down.
Overall, amazing show but not so amazing audience.
Question by the way: does anyone know what happened to Terrence Howard? Boris Kodjoe was great but this was a bit of a surprise.

Updated On: 4/26/08 at 10:21 PM

[roadmixer]

Posted: 4/26/08 at 10:32pm

Terrence is off until May 6th for contractual obligations associated with promoting the movie Iron Man which he is in. This was planned from the start - before signing with Cat.

[uncageg]

Posted: 4/26/08 at 10:34pm

My understanding is that Terrence Howard is scheduled to be out of the show until May or June. Do a search, it has been discussed.

Good for Anika. Based on what I have been hearing from friends and reading here, the audiences for this show have been, well, not that great.

[osage08]

Posted: 4/26/08 at 10:35pm

Thanks roadmixer. I was wondering why it seemed as if he suddenly dropped out.

[obsessedjb]

Posted: 4/26/08 at 11:09pm

That stinks about the audience.

Does Boris stage door? I'm seeing it next weekend and am dying to meet him. Thanks!

[osage08]

Posted: 4/26/08 at 11:14pm

I came for the matinee and the only one who stagedoored was Clark Jackson who was apparently just planning to go out for a beer lol. I couldn't tell you who comes out after the evening performance although I was disappointed (although not very surprised that no one really came out after the matinee.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 4/26/08 at 11:45pm

It sucks that the audience for this show hasn't gotten any better. The show itself is spectacular. Anika is a pro.

[osage08]

Posted: 4/26/08 at 11:49pm

You've had a bad experience with the audience at this show as well?

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 4/26/08 at 11:54pm

I went to the first preview and the audience kept laughing as if they were watching THE RINK or NOISES OFF. They were also a few rude girls behind me who kept texting and whose phones kept ringing. It was just incredibly annoying. Particularly the laughter at really odd times, it was way too bothersome.
Having said that, not even the laughter could keep me from appreciating this piece. Particularly, Anika Noni Rose's Maggie made the whole evening worth it.

[osage08]

Posted: 4/27/08 at 12:06am

Absolutely agreed and I also noticed a lot of inappropriate laughter. It got to be pretty annoying.

Updated On: 4/27/08 at 12:06 AM

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 4/27/08 at 12:18am

Anika stopped and talked to the audience????
That's amazing, it takes a lot for an actress to do that!
Someone told me that Boris is exposing more than Terrance did skin wise.
Is this true?
Thus sounds like the wackiest Williams revival ever,
and now that it's on TKTS I am going for it.

[osage08]

Posted: 4/27/08 at 12:22am

I don't know how much Terrence usually exposes but Boris spent a great deal of time in boxers and an open robe. Not a bad sight at all... lol and yeah Anika got pretty fierce their for a moment but the audience was very distracting. I've heard that Patti has done similar things though.

[uncageg]

Posted: 4/27/08 at 12:36am

Again...I wish I had been there for Patti's infamous kicking of the Playbill during Gypsy pre-Broadway. My friend was there and called me right after the show to tell me.

[bkonbroadway]

Posted: 4/27/08 at 4:22am

(Spoilers) So I have to disagree with how amazing the show is. Yes, I too saw it with an amazingly rude and disruptive audience which may have to do with my dislike of the production. However...this is my favorite Williams play and I feel like it was messy. Phylicia was the saving grace to this producion playing Big Mamma BRILLIANTLY. Anika did very well, but did not hold my attention and give that "can't keep my eyes off of her" kind of performance. Her choices were general and she just spouted off the whole monologue of Act I. I also did not enjoy the sax player. He makes the show more anti-realistic and is unnecessary. It's taking realism but introducing each act with a "concept." I am very dissapointed that I did not see Terrance because in my opinion Boris was AWFUL. Yes, he was nice to look at, but that's it. He just didn't get it. And you could tell. I felt no love for Skipper other than the lines he was reciting about him. His reactions to Skipper's name and the whole subject of him were very contrived. The fighting looked sloppy in Act I as well. Mae and Gooper were great though. As was James Earl Jones. However, I feel that the cast in the last revival was much more thorough in their examination of this play. They had all made very specific choices about their characters and I feel that the only ones to really do that in this production were Phylicia and Mae (I forget her real name). It's a shame...I was so excited for this producion but I was terribly dissapointed.

[DidYouReallyHearMe]

Posted: 4/27/08 at 4:33am

I saw the show on February 15th. And my audience laughed...only because each of the serious scenes came off as comic bits (i.e. the scene when Brick chases down Maggie with his crutch, and when Brick says "I'm not a fag" he said it in such a way that made it sound as if he were joking....and to top it off even James Earl Jones laughed) I wrote a review in a thread a while back. Very disappointed in the direction...almost the entire show is directed behind the couch and every character is so upstaged the play loses its focus...

[LaurenB]

Posted: 4/27/08 at 8:45am

"I wish I had been there for Patti's infamous kicking of the Playbill during Gypsy pre-Broadway. My friend was there and called me right after the show to tell me."

uncageg - oh, please tell! I haven't heard that before.

[osage08]

Posted: 4/27/08 at 9:03am

uncaged- I hadn't heard about that particular incidence either.

I guess I'm kind of in the minority here. I'm no expert on dramatic theatre but I still enjoyed the performance, despite the audience.
DidYouReallyHearME- that could explain the inappropriate laughter although I still understood the seriousness of those situations so the laughter seemed a bit odd to me.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 4/27/08 at 9:32am

The audience was dreadful the night I went too.

People were still arriving at the end of the first act. Lots of audience members were texting, one man behind us was snoring very loudly in act 3. There was another woman eating Cool Ranch Doritos, crinkling the bag.

This to say nothing of the endless hooting and hollering every time Terrance Howard showed a little skin.

[brandonm2]

Posted: 4/27/08 at 12:46pm

quick question: they didnt change the playbill artwork (exchanging terrence's pic with boris's) did they?

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 4/27/08 at 1:11pm

She stepped out of character during a dialogue with Brick, turned around and asked "Should I wait?" until the audience quieted down.


Haha, I love it.


Where were the rush seats?

[fflagg]

Posted: 4/27/08 at 2:23pm

The audiences for this show sounds like they belong at "Night at the Apollo". Thank God Wanda Sykes and Mo'nique turned down the parts of Maggie and Big Mamma. Otherwise this would have become the chitlin circuit all over again. . .

[osage08]

Posted: 4/27/08 at 5:32pm

brandomn2- I was wondering about that too. My playbill was all black with only the title so I'm guessing it was because of Terrence Howard's absence.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 4/27/08 at 6:29pm

They've also revised the billing. Howard used to have top billing, but Kodjoe is now at the bottom, with (in order) James Earl Jones, Phylicia Rashad, and Anika Noni Rose all above him.

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 4/27/08 at 6:35pm

Good for Anika! I love it when the actors tell the audience to behave.

As for the Patti things, here's the thread:




Patti and Playbills

[DidYouReallyHearMe]

Posted: 4/27/08 at 10:35pm

DancingThruLife, Rush seats are on the far sides and your obstructed by a rather large drink bar.

However, half the show is obstructed behind the couch anyway, thanks to Debbie Allen's awful direction.