One of Queerguru’s favorite Tennessee Willams plays is Cat On A Tin Roof and we are beyond thrilled that London’s Young Vic’s recent star-studded production is now streaming online.

If you don’t know the plot (you risk having your gay card taken away) then you should know it’s the story of a Mississippi family gather at their country property to celebrate Big Daddy’s birthday. The scorching heat is almost as oppressive as the lies they tell each other. Brick and Maggie dance around the secrets and sexual tensions that threaten to destroy their marriage. Which version of the truth is real – and which will win out?

This production that will be available on The National Theater streaming service was directed by Benedict Andrews starred Sienna Miller as Maggie, Jack O’Connell as Brick, Colm Meaney as Big Daddy, Lisa Palfrey as Big Mama, Hayley Squires as Mae, Brian Gleeson as Gooper, Richard Hansell as Doctor, and Michael J. Shannon as Reverend.

All our eyes are naturally on O’Connell the Irish/British actor who started his career playing juvenile delinquents in the movie This Is England and the TV series Skins.  His breakthrough role was in the queer prison drama Starred Up.  However, his personal life reflected his art and his skirmishes with the law actually prevented him from getting a US visa and thus Hollywood.  His luck changed in 2014 when Angelina Jolie gave him the star part in her directing debut Unbroken, and finally, O’Connell had arrived.

In our mind, this very talented actor (who is also more than easy on the eyes) has the perfect ambiguity to play the troubled Brick in this excellent new production and steal all his scenes.

https://www.ntathome.com/cat-on-a-hot-tin-roof

 

Now if cannot get enough of Willams “Cat” it has just been announced that Antoine Fuqua  (Training Day) will direct another adaption of the play.  In 2008, Producers Stephen C. Byrd and Alia Jones-Harvey mounted the first African American Broadway production of the Tennessee Williams’ classic play.  It became the biggest grossing play on Broadway that season and now Fuqua will film his version of it.