Still Time to See Scarlett Johansson in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

Adding her name to the long list of Hollywood stars who have taken a stab at the iconic role of Maggie the Cat, Scarlett Johansson is staring in a production at the Richard Rodgers Theater through March 30^th, 2013.

 

The play, a classic by Tennessee Williams from 1955, follows the drama surrounding who will inherit the southern plantation built from scratch by family patriarch Big Daddy. Johansson’s character, Maggie, is in competition with her fellow daughter-in-law, and things are not going well. As a condition of their inheritance, she and her alcoholic husband Brick must have a child, and with the very real possibility that the two may never share a bed again, that seems unlikely.

 

The play is a tough one for any actress taking on the role of Maggie. At around three hours of run time, with the first half hour depending almost solely on monologues delivered by Johansson, it is a marathon of a play for the lead actress. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof boasts pathos over the broken relationship between Maggie and Brick, punctuated by moments of genuine comedy, and Johansson handles both with aplomb.

 

The list of Johansson’s predecessors in her role is an extensive and storied one, including Elizabeth Taylor in the 1958 film version that included Paul Newman as Brick, and Burl Ives as Big Daddy. On stage, the role has also been played by the likes of Kathleen Turner and Ashley Judd. While not every review of this production has been wholly positive—with some critics faulting the director and the staging for intrusive music and sound cues—many have lauded Scarlett Johansson for her work. Her notions of a career as a stage actress, aside from her many successes in films as diverse as Lost in Translation and this past summer’s The Avengers, appear to be more and more reasonable. After all, in 2010, Johansson won a Tony award for best featured (i.e. supporting) actress in what was then her lone Broadway appearance, also in a revival of a classic play, on that occasion A View From the Bridge by Arthur Miller.

 

Whether a second Tony is in her future or not, for fans of Ms. Johansson, Tennessee Williams, or any sort of theater, the production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof at the Richard Rodgers Theater running now through March 30th is a great chance to see what New York has to offer. When you are looking for a ride to get you there, back, or both, in comfort and safety, be sure to call us at Gotham Limousine.

By Frank McDonald