OUR 2008 TOUR: CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF


"One of the most successful plays of our time. A play of tremendous dramatic impact and enormous theatrical power."
          --The New York Post

A stunning drama, the quintessence of life. It is the basic truth. As theatre, it is superb."
          --The New York Times

In the past twenty years the Montana Repertory Theatre featured Tennessee Williams three times, presenting The Glass Menagerie in 1994 and A Streetcar Named Desire in 2004, and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in 2008. These experiences were high-water marks for our company. The Glass Menagerie reveals the young Williams as an emerging genius finding his wings and taking off. A Streetcar Named Desire finds the author at full throttle, investigating the dark and mysterious sides of the human heart; in this hauntingly beautiful play, we find Williams writing at the peak of his power.

Continuing our exploration of the works of this American master, we were delighted to present Cat on a Hot Tin Roof as our 2008 selection. Cat is a play about vital and vibrant characters trapped in a repressive society that fosters a lack of communication, leading to unavoidable and unbearable loneliness. It is a play about breaking through. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is the perfect sequel to A Streetcar Named Desire. In Streetcar, the fragile, feminine, and poetic qualities embodied in Blanche DuBois are trampled upon by the coarse and troubled Stanley Kowalski. In Cat, the feminine--with a little guile and sensuality--emerges victorious in the person of Maggie the Cat.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof was written in the mid-twentieth century but still rings true. In fact the themes of the play are perhaps more pertinent today than ever. The emerging power of women, the fear of openness in personal matters, and the mendacity of the powerful are all themes that resonate today. Before there were "Desperate Housewives," there was Maggie the Cat; before there was Tony Soprano, there was Big Daddy; and before "Survivor," there was Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

The Montana Rep takes great pride in presenting the work of outstanding American writers. From Arthur Miller, Horton Foote, Wendy Wasserstein, Neil Simon, Robert Harling, William Gibson, and Harper Lee come stories that define the American character. No one has looked longer and deeper into the human heart than Tennessee Williams. His courage defined a generation. For that reason, and for the sheer poetic force of his writing, we considered ourselves privileged to encounter Mr. Williams again.