I first saw this play several years ago at the
same theatre, so was keen to catch the latest tour of, arguably, Tennessee
Williams’ most famous play.
Anthony Almeida takes the helm as director,
offering an almost abstract, stripped-back interpretation of the text. Almeida’s
recent work at London’s Almeida Theatre and his success at winning the RTST Sir
Peter Hall Director Award in 2019 already created a buzz of expectation and
intrigue for this touring production, which is produced in partnership with
Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse and English Touring Theatre.
The bare, minimalist set consists of three
raised walkways, with a circular curtain in the middle of the space. The
opening scene is played predominantly with the curtain closed, perhaps
suggesting how the discord and tension between married couple Maggie and Brick
exists behind closed doors, away from the public eye where their façade of a
blissful marriage can thrive, and inviting the audience to take a voyeuristic
peek into their private misery. Unfortunately, the curtain remains closed for
too long, invoking frustration, more than anything, that a clear shot of the cast
can’t be seen. It also muffles the sound a bit which, again, is mildly
annoying. Perhaps this is what is aimed for, but for me it didn’t work.
We learn that Brick and Maggie’s marriage is on
the rocks. To paraphrase Maggie, they no longer live together, they just share
the same cage. It’s not immediately clear what is going on between the pair, as
Brick, laid up with a leg injury, broods and scowls from his rest-bed and
Maggie slinks and purrs around the space, throwing scathing comments in her husband's
direction one second then trying to seduce him the next. Oliver Johnstone’s
Brick is cool and sullen, crushed by physical and emotional agony and his
dependency on alcohol, he slowly sinks into a stupor as the play progresses,
desperate for the ‘click’ of contentedness that alcohol brings him. Siena Kelly
plays a pitiful figure as his frustrated wife, Maggie, the titular cat, who
clings on to her marriage despite the increasing signs of its toxicity. Brick
is no longer interested, but Maggie desperately wants him to love her and
continue their pretense of a loving, ‘normal’ marriage. Kelly and Johnstone share strong chemistry on
stage and portray the rising anger, frustration and misery between the pair
wonderfully. Johnstone’s conveying of Brick’s fragile masculinity, his guilt
over the death of his friend and his inability to communicate his feelings
without shame is particularly touching in equal parts. In a time where male suicide is at a high, Brick’s
narrative thread hits the spot. There’s a very touching moment between Brick
and his father, Big Daddy, towards the end of Act 1, where Big Daddy encourages
his son to share his burden and open up, questioning why no-one talks anymore.
The snarling and sniping between Brick and
Maggie is enveloped by a family party, celebrating the 65th birthday
of patriarch Big Daddy, played by Peter Forbes. It’s Forbes that delivers the
productions most powerful moment as he reacts to a devastating diagnosis which
had been kept from him, just moments after we have seen him revel in hopeful
plans for the future. The weight of this moment really hit heavily and it was
hard not to sympathise with Big Daddy, however ignorant, misogynistic and
grotesque his future plans may have been. To see the wind taken so cruelly out
of his sails is a really tough watch.
The real star of the piece is William’s
crackling script, which seethes with tension, distrust and desire for the
impossible. Maggie wants the love of a husband who can’t stand her. Brick wants
to re-live the past and escape his marriage. Big Daddy wants to live. Williams
has a skill for exposing the humanity in his characters, often to heartbreaking
ends, but he peppers his play with wit and humour which I don’t think was
portrayed as strongly in this version. Yes, the brooding, the tension and the
darkness of the play is emphasised well, but after a while it loses its punch
and, like the ticking metronome that punctuates the play, it becomes monotonous.
I think allowing the more light-hearted moments to rise to the fore more
strongly would have made those dark and sombre moments all the more
gut-wrenching.
There’s a key thread of mendacity throughout the
play, which is even directly referenced by Big Daddy. All of the characters are
lying, whether it’s to each other or themselves. The drama comes from each of
the characters confronting those lies and, in most cases, it is heartbreaking
to observe.
Although a good adaptation, I’m not sure the
abstract presentation works in the story’s favour. Cast members wander on, pose
for a bit, then drift off back into the shadows which distracts the audience
from the main action more than anything else. Due to the minimal set and props,
many important events happen without any physical signposting, leaving the
audience to insinuate and use the text to derive what is going on. For example,
the family gather round and discuss Big Daddy opening his birthday gifts
without any gifts in sight. Big Momma has several conversations on the telephone
whilst sitting serenely on a table with no phone or even representation of
phone around. I’m not sure this would be clear for a first time viewer and it
certainly makes the audience work for their experience.
Like Maggie, who doesn’t possess the attractive
qualities she hints Brick found in his friend Skipper, is this piece just a
victim of what came before? I found myself relying a lot on the previous
version I’d seen to piece together what was happening before me. Perhaps the
intension was a radical re-telling, stripping back any elaborate set pieces,
props or costumes to really expose the themes of William’s tale and the
humanity of its characters, but for me it didn’t quite do Williams’ script
justice.
Reviewer - Gavin Hayes
on - 19.10.21
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