Overview
Synopsis
In Tennessee Williams’ Pulitzer Prize-winning Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, the dysfunctional but wealthy Pollitt family gathers to celebrate aging patriarch Big Daddy’s birthday. But there is more to this gathering than a family reunion-- Big Daddy is dying of cancer, and he hasn’t decided which of his sons will inherit the estate. His options include favorite son Brick, who drinks himself into oblivion in order to bear the oppressive expectations of his determined wife, Maggie, or his less-favored son Gooper, his fertile wife Mae, and their five “no-neck monster” children. While sensuous Maggie “the cat” tries to work her wiles to secure a future for them, Brick spirals deeper into despair, crippled by both physical pain and emotional loss. Lurking under every practiced interaction between the Pollitts is an ulterior motive, under every smile, a challenge, and under every statement, the specter of mendacity. For the Pollitts, the truth is as hazy as the late summer sun in Mississippi, and sometimes the only way to find it is to journey through the lies.
Show Information
- Book
- Tennessee Williams
- Category
- Play
- Age Guidance
- Thirteen Plus (PG-13)
- Number of Acts
- 3
- First Produced
- 1955
- Genres
- Drama
- Settings
- Unit/Single Set
- Time & Place
- the pollitt estate in mississippi
- Cast Size
- medium
- Orchestra Size
- None
- Dancing
- None
- Licensor
- Samuel French
- Ideal For
- College/University, Community Theatre, Mature Audiences, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Small Cast, Star Vehicle Female, Star Vehicle Male, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Adult, Mature Adult, Child, Young Adult Characters, Medium Cast
Context
In the 1950s, reeling from the traumas of World War II, Americans turned their energies to building safer, more wholesome lives at home. Encouraged by the birth of modern suburbia, the return to traditional job roles, and the rise of television (and role models like Leave it to Beaver’s perfect housewife, June Cleaver), they focused anew on the importance of nuclear family life. In 1955, Southern playwright Tennessee Williams (already a Pulitzer Prize-winner for his 1948 play, _A Streetcar
to read the context for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
Act One
In the sweeping mansion on Big Daddy Pollitt’s Mississippi cotton plantation, Maggie, the beautiful, sensuous wife of favorite son Brick Pollitt, is dressing at her mirror while Brick, who has been injured and uses a crutch, gets out of the shower. She is irritable, exhausted by the antics of her many nieces and nephews. She terms the children of Brick’s brother, Gooper, “no-neck monsters.” Maggie tells Brick that the performative skits Gooper and his wife, Mae, have been staging
to read the plot for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Female |
Non-singer |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Non-singer |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Ensemble |
Either Gender |
Spoken |
|
|
Ensemble |
Either Gender |
Spoken |
Songs
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
Sections of a play or musical which are usually divided by an intermission.
The belief that equality and opportunity is available to any American.
A recurring symbol or idea in literature, art, or culture.
Description of the perspective that heterosexuality is the normal and preferred sexual orientation.
The woman who is the head of the family.
Dislike of and prejudice against women.
A family unit of parents and their children.
The head of a tribe or community.
A segment of action and dialogue between two or more characters within a play.
Videos
Quizzes
Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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Quote Analysis
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