by Lorie Lewis Ham

Special KRL coupon at the end of this article and our first ever local theatre video interviews with the lead actors & the director.

This past weekend Cat On A Hot Tin Roof opened in Hanford at the Temple Theater, presented by the Kings Players. If you’re looking for a night of serious theatre that takes you to another time and place, this is the play for you.

Written by Tennessee Williams, Cat On A Hot Tin Roof is set in Mississippi in the summer of 1954 and features a dysfunctional southern family. They have gathered together because the family patriarch is dieing and the two sons, Brick and Gooper, are vying to inherit the family money and considerable land—actually it’s more their wives that are fighting over it then the sons themselves. Brick doesn’t care about anything and spends his time drinking away his problems—the depth of which are revealed as the play goes along. His wife, Maggie The Cat, is doing all she can to snap him out of it—desperately wanting his love and the money—it’s really hard to say which she wants more. While Brick is the favorite son, the advantage that Gooper and his wife Mae have over them is that they have provided Big Daddy with a large brood of grandchildren, whereas Brick and Maggie have none.
 
The old south comes alive on stage in Hanford as you watch this play and see the stories unfold, layer by layer, of this very unhappy family. Having spent a lot of time in the south, I can say that everyone does a great job of bringing the southern characters and world to life—accents and attitude—as there definitely is an attitude to the south. Emotions are intense and sad as Maggie jabbers on about her frustrations, trying desperately to get Brick to listen and love her—she describes herself as “a cat on a hot tin roof” hanging on for dear life, and Kiersten Young does a wonderful job of bringing this character to life. Brick, played by Earnest Roberts, is brooding, dark and handsome and pulls his character off more with attitude than a lot of dialogue.
 

If you feel like spending an evening in Mississippi and seeing something a bit more serious, grab your mint julep and head out to Hanford. You’re not going to find a fluffy, happily ever after kind of story with Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, but instead something that will make you think and feel, and isn’t that what a perfect night at the theatre is supposed to do?
 
I highly recommend seeing Cat On A Hot Tin Roof and plan to head back again myself before it’s over! Remaining performance dates are May 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, and 27 with evening Friday and Saturday performances at 7:30 and Sundays at 2. To learn more about purchasing tickets visit their website and KRL’s local theatre event page.

Print this page and take to the show to get discount:

Kings Players Two-For-One Coupon for
Cat On A Hot Tin Roof
Admit 2 Adults for $10.00
Coupon good for any performance of the play.
One Coupon Per Family
Reservations Suggested – 559-584-7241

 
Interview with Cat On A Hot Tin Roof director Corey Ralston:

Interview with Kierston Young who plays Maggie The Cat, in Cat On A Hot Tin Roof:

Interview with Earnest Roberts who plays Brick in Cat On A Hot Tin Roof:

Lorie Lewis Ham is our Editor-in-Chief and an enthusiastic contributor to various sections, coupling her journalism experience with her connection to the literary and entertainment worlds. Explore Lorie’s mystery writing at Mysteryrat’s Closet.