Review: CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF, Royal Exchange Theatre

Photo credit: Helen Murray

Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre once again brings a new production of a Tennessee Williams classic to its stage, this time with Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

For those who may not know, “like a cat on a hot tin roof” is the 20th century American equivalent of an older British idiom that relates to someone who is in an agitated or anxious state.  Williams used the idiom as the title of his 1955 play and throughout the story makes reference to the phrase in a variety of ways.  The themes of facing death, truths and deceit are excellently woven into the script of the play to give a real depth to the story, showing character relationships have more to them than what can be seen on the surface level.

This new production at the Royal Exchange manages to simultaneously modernise the story without pinpointing it to a certain time period, making it feel suspended in a sort of limbo in its own time bubble, largely due to the contemporary stripped back set design from Milla Clarke.  By making the story feel detached from time as we know it and using an echo effect for segments of dialogue originating from off-stage characters, it makes it more removed from reality, which is precisely the angle that director Roy Alexander Weise was aiming for when speaking about the process of this production.  His creative ideas have successfully been brought to life with this production.  To refresh the original story, some of the language of Williams’ script has been adapted and the narrative of the Pollitts being a powerful family who own a cotton plantation has gone down a slightly different path to original productions by having a predominantly Black cast.

Other elements of the production that add to the imaginative, dream space created within the theatre are the lighting design by Lizzie Powell, and the music and sound, thanks to the compositions and sound design of Alexandra Faye Braithwaite and musical direction from Tayo Akinbode. Underscored by a mixture of modern pop music, soulful gospel songs, and ethereal-feeling ambience, the blend of the contrasting music styles really adds to the dream-like, non-naturalistic style of the production.  Powell’s lighting design transports the entire audience into the world of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof with moments of the story such as the fireworks and the storm using breathtaking lighting effects to illuminate the whole theatre.

All of the cast give phenomenal performances, perfectly executing both the tragic and comedic moments of the script, but even amongst such a strong cast, there are standout performances from Ntombizodwa Ndlovu as Maggie and Patrick Robinson as Big Daddy, both of whom bring a great fierceness and vulnerability to their characters.

This formidably fantastic production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is a must see this Spring, with a fiercely outstanding cast giving a fresh take on this Tennessee Williams classic.

***** Five stars

Reviewed by: Jess Dalloway

Cat On a Hot Tin Roof plays at the Royal Exchange Theatre until 29 April , with further information here.