“One of those no-neck monsters hit me with a hot buttered biscuit,” says Maggie, who has returned to her room, “so I have t’ change!” Moments later, the stage directions indicate that she steps out of her dress and stands in a slip of ivory satin and lace.

Surely anyone who has seen Cat on a Hot Tin Roof will never forget Tennessee Williams’ astonishing opening gambit. Within the first minute, we have a preview of everything to come. 

Through a lucky coincidence of timing, I was able to catch up with Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, a play I adore, in two productions playing at the same time. Philadelphia’s Walnut Street offers an expansive, centrist version that will be comfortingly familiar to fans of the film. New York’s Theatre at St. Clement’s is showcasing an intimate, pared-down, strikingly bold updating…

Click here to read the full review at Parterre Box.