Speaking of Cats...

Yesterday I went to an early matinee of the CATCO production of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" by Tennessee Williams. The last time I went to a matinee at CATCO I tried to call ahead to reserve tickets and they told me not to bother and just show up. Sure enough the house was only about half full. This time was different however, probably because it is a better-known play and just the sort of thing for high school teachers to bring groups of students to see. The show was sold out and I was put on a waiting list with about eight people ahead of me, so I was all prepared not to get in. Fortune smiled upon me, however, and I got the very last ticket that was released at the last minute. My seat was in the balcony and about as far away from the stage as was possible in the theater, but fortunately it is a smallish studio theater and I didn't get stuck behind a building support pole like some people did.

This was the first production of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" that I have seen (live or on film) and I thought that they did a very admirable job. Most of the actors were quite good, except for the one who played Brick, who is on stage most of the play with a cast on his foot, and didn't convince me for one moment that he actually needed his crutch. My favorite character was Big Mama who was played by an actress named Linda Dorff, who was in CATCO's 2004 production of "Arsenic and Old Lace" and was brilliant in both shows.