A Review

Lies & Whispers

By R. J. Donovan

Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" -- currently at Lyric Stage, directed by Scott Edmiston -- began life as a short story in 1952. The piece was soon adapted for the stage, winning a Pulitzer Prize in 1955 before heading to Hollywood to become an Oscar-nominated film. While it may be the film that most people are familiar with, the story suffered alternations beyond Williams' control.

Set in the steamy south, the story opens the door on the turbulent and volatile Pollitt family on the occasion of the patriarch's 65th birthday. "Big Daddy," as the tycoon is known, is dying of cancer. However, he's not immediately aware of the death sentence that awaits. His family (with one exception) works to keep the truth from him. In fact, lies and deception swirl into almost every relationship we see.

Knowing that Big Daddy will soon be making his final exit, some family members are more than a little concerned about who will manage the sprawling Mississippi plantation upon which they all depend. Jockeying for position, the competitive games grow as the tale unfolds.

At the heart of the story are sultry Maggie and her hunky, self-loathing husband Brick. Maggie is frustrated because she's lacking a sexual relationship with the indifferent Brick, a former football hero who drinks excessively. He says he depends on alcohol to dull his pain, but we're left to ponder the origin of the pain itself.

Brick is mourning the loss of his lifelong friend Skipper, who committed suicide. But is he pining for a lost friendship or was there something deeper between the two? Or could he be wallowing in guilt over feelings he could not bring himself to reciprocate? We're also left to question whether there was something between Maggie and Skipper designed to sabotage the friendship of the two men.

The original play made no bones about the homosexual undercurrent in Brick's nature. The film eliminated it all together. Either way, the turbulent couple's biggest shortcoming is in not having produced an heir for Big Daddy. Meanwhile, Brick's brother, Gooper, has a brood of screaming kids, plus another one on the way.

As Brick, Kelby Akin is quietly brooding. Having injured himself prior to the start of the play, he's aided by a crutch -- both literal and figurative. Akin is seemingly exhausted by life as he drags himself from bed to bar waiting for the "click" that signals a state of numbness. (As a side note, he has a slight bit of stage business that involves melting an ice cube in his hands before dropping it in his drink that adds a nice touch).

Cheryl McMahon is Big Mama. With diamonds glistening, McMahon has a handle on the character and hits the ground running.

Owen Doyle is Gooper, who calls upon his legal skills in an effort to swoop in and take over the plantation, thereby shutting out the others. Elisa MacDonald plays his wife, who comes off a little too perky, even in her insults. While she needs to be a woman with a mind of her own, she also gains a cowardly strength from the "safety in numbers" theory. She's like all those bratty kids in the schoolyard who gang up on someone only when allies are at the ready behind them. She doesn't have the gumption to wage war on her own. But Maggie does. Which brings us to Georgia Lyman.

Lyman practically oozed commanding sexuality in "The Scene" last season at Lyric. So it would seem that she'd be right for the steamy role of Maggie. It's been said that you should almost smell magnolias in the air when Maggie "The Cat" enters. Her smoldering presence helps sets the color and tone for the entire play.

Of all the characters, Maggie is the outsider at the table. She comes from nothing, yet feels she's worthy of everything. And she should carry herself with the steely belief that she, indeed, is a southern belle to be reckoned with. But rather than exuding that combination of confidence and fire, Lyman spends much of the first act pushing. She takes more control in her quieter moments, but it's that first impression that's important. She should have a driving sense of purpose vs. desperation.

As Big Daddy, Lyric's Producing Artistic Director Spiro Veloudos swaps his offstage role for one in the spotlight. As he growls and prowls and speaks his mind, Big Daddy really has no use for anyone except Brick. And he pulls no punches in saying so. The best scenes in the play are the moments in Act Two between Big Daddy and Brick.

The Lyric's compact performance area is once again used to full advantage by set designer Janie E. Howland. Maggie and Brick's bedroom is center stage with the exterior balcony at the rear, drifting behind a wall of sheer drapery. The use of the gauzy, flowing fabric not only adds the sense of a steamy summer's night, but also allows characters to be seen when they are eavesdropping on each other's conversations.

Tennessee Williams created rich stories brimming with guarded secrets and complex relationships. And although some elements of "Cat On A Hot Tin Roof" may not ring controversial today, the play's emotional nerve center remains true. Meanwhile, greed and mendacity remain as vile and as prevalent as ever.

"Cat On A Hot Tin Roof" is at Lyric Stage Company of Boston, 140 Clarendon Street, through March 14. For information, call 617-585-5678.

Production photos: Mark S. Howard

-- OnStage Boston