Cat on a Hot Tin Roof presented by Theatre of Gadsden

In Tennessee Williams’ Pulitzer Prize-winning Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, the dysfunctional but wealthy Pollitt family gathers to celebrate aging patriarch Big Daddy’s birthday. But there is more to this gathering than a family reunion– Big Daddy is dying of cancer, and he hasn’t decided which of his sons will inherit the estate. His options include favorite son Brick, who drinks himself into oblivion in order to bear the oppressive expectations of his determined wife, Maggie, or his less-favored son Gooper, his fertile wife Mae, and their five “no-neck monster” children. While sensuous Maggie “the cat” tries to work her wiles to secure a future for them, Brick spirals deeper into despair, crippled by both physical pain and emotional loss. Lurking under every practiced interaction between the Pollitts is an ulterior motive, under every smile, a challenge, and under every statement, the specter of mendacity. For the Pollitts, the truth is as hazy as the late summer sun in Mississippi, and sometimes the only way to find it is to journey through the lies.

Showtimes are one weekend only: 7 p.m. Thurs-Fri-Sat, Jan. 12-14; and 2 p.m. Sat-Sun, Jan. 14-15. All performances are at the Historic Ritz Theatre, 310 Wall St., Gadsden, AL 35904.