Despite the hype and a lot of promise, Rebecca Frecknall’s Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is somewhat underpowered at best.

It is the director’s latest stab at a Tennessee Williams play after last year’s celebrated A Streetcar Named Desire revival, starring Paul Mescal, but this latest production at the Almeida fails to hit the same heights.

The first red flag for the audience is yet another stripped-back set. With just a piano and a couple of chairs, one does have to wonder if the theatrical ‘trick’ of having no discernible set is beginning to wear a little thin.

But, in many cases, the strength of the material and direction is accentuated by a threadbare set design, helping audiences to focus all the more of the dialogue. However, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof does not pack anything like the same punch as Streetcar in this venue.

Act One’s addition of a pianist, punctuating moments of drama and emotion, is welcome, even if the same role is confined to being slumped in a corner for much of the second act.

Frecknall’s direction is static, with the undoubtedly talented cast unable to utilise the unique space of the Almeida. Kingsley Ben-Adir is brooding as Brick but it takes until the end of Act Two in this three-act play to reveal any sort of personality, let alone vulnerability, to the audience.

And therein lies another problem. This is long, very long, coming in at three hours with one interval and a short break. Williams’ source material just does not seem able to hold out for that amount of time, slow-burning its way into a pile of ashes before it ever manages to truly spark.

As Maggie, Daisy Edgar-Jones is compelling but you never quite believe her desperation for Brick. She is a captivating performer, however, and provides brighter moments throughout, even bringing levity to this dark family drama.

The performance that truly elevates this stumbling production is that of Lennie James as Big Daddy (you’ll know because his name is used to start almost every sentence in scenes involving him). Like almost every other character, he is utterly dislikable in his contempt for those who love him but James is layered and complicated in his portrayal.

Perhaps a lack of set and a lack of any real movement on stage is indeed en vogue in theatre right now. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof had echoes of the similarly divisive modern interpretation of Oklahoma! but this is a straight play, without beloved songs to act as a distraction. The execution is a little disappointing and sadly, this latest production is a misfire by Frecknall.

** Two stars

Reviewed by: Tom Ambrose

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof plays at the Almeida Theatre until 1 February 2025, with further information here.