Haddonfield Plays & Players is taking a trip to the heart of Mississippi in the 1950s with a reenactment of one of the most iconic Pulitzer-Prize winning plays, “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” by Tennessee Williams.
Haddonfield Plays & Players is taking a trip to the heart of Mississippi in the 1950s with a reenactment of one of the most iconic Pulitzer-Prize winning plays, “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” by Tennessee Williams.
“Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” analyzes the dynamics of a Southern family, housing secrets within the walls of their plantation home. The story follows a husband and wife, Brick and Maggie Pollitt, and exposes the raw and vulnerable aspects to their marriage. Among a complicated marriage, illness plagues the family, leaving uncertainty over who will inherit the family’s cotton plantation.
Williams, known for his ability to delve into the deepest aspects of the human condition, has created characters the performers are excited to embody, according to actress Ashley Griffiths, who plays Maggie Pollitt.
“It’s a classic,” Griffiths said. “They should teach it in every school and you should grow up knowing who Tennessee Williams was because he is such an incredible playwright.”
Griffiths said the performance will have the audience searching for meaning and holding onto every line. Sprinkled with hidden meanings, the play is meant to convey hidden metaphors and symbolism, left for interpretation.
“Everything has a reason behind it,” Griffiths said. “Everyone needs to experience a Tennessee Williams play at least once … it is so powerful”
Brick Pollitt, played by Ken Hellings, is somewhat of a mess while being everyone’s favorite guy, according to Hellings. The story details Brick and his brother, while their dying father contemplates whom to leave their fortune to.
“This has always been one of my dream roles,” Hellings said. “So this was like heaven landing into my life getting this part.”
To make Brick’s character more authentic, Hellings pulls parts of his own life and applies them to the struggles his character faces. Although the audience’s interpretation of Brick varies, some say Brick is a gay man living in a time where he may not be able to admit to who he is. Although Hellings said his experience coming out as a gay man was more supportive than Hellings would be in that time, he was able to relate and connect with his character.
“As a homosexual myself, and coming to terms in it with my own way … I can remember feeling a lot of the same feelings I am putting into the character,” Hellings said. “It allows you to get in that character and bring forth that character on stage.”
Although a traumatic experience doesn’t have to be attached, coming out can be difficult as one may have feelings of self-loathing and hate that can manifest in ways similar to his character, according to Hellings.
Tami Gordon Brody, who plays Big Mama, Brick’s mother, has also discovered how her character relates to herself and others. Brody describes her character as a woman who unconditionally loves in all facets of her life, despite the dysfunction in her personal relationship, including with her husband. Brody’s character struggles to deal with her husband’s illness while being a support system for her secretive family, according to Brody.
“It speaks to every family … because every family has secrets, every family has something,” Brody said. “You can’t walk away from this play and not know people like the characters.”
Director Bill Fikaris encourages the actors to embrace their characters and proudly tells them “the longest journey you can ever take is from your head to your heart.” His actors apply this word of advice to their personal stage as well as their personal lives.
Fikaris has helped direct more than 50 shows and looks forward to the challenge of directing such a complex play.
“Directors paint pictures,” Fikaris said. “I want to be challenged as a director.”
Fikaris encourages those in and around Haddonfield to see this performance through a new lens. With today’s political climate in the U.S., Fikaris believes the audience will find the play not only “relevant” but “powerful.”
The performance will take place through May 26. Tickets are now on sale for this production at www.haddonfieldplayers.com.
