Terrence Howard, Phylicia Rashad Taking “Cat” to the Big Screen
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, by Tennessee Williams, launched a revival on March 2nd of this year. There was one major change - the entire cast was African-American. Terrence Howard (recently on screen in Iron Man) and Phylicia Rashad joined James Earl Jones and Anika Noni Rose in the critically-acclaimed production. It runs until June 22, which means I’m going to just miss it - I’ve a planned trip out to the coast in early July.
Happily, though, producer Stephen Byrd is revving up to take the show to the big screen - supplanting the classic film with Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor. Those are might big shoes to fill, and it’s certainly going to be a challenge for director Debbie Allen, but this is one case where I think that the idea of universal themes crossing cultural boundaries works. Even more exciting, before the show closes Byrd is arranging for several simul-cast live performances to go on in several cities.
Like the High School Musical production in Beirut that managed to open last week in spite of the turmoil in the country, having African-Americans play the roles in a classic southern tale lends a glimpse into both the common well of emotion as well as the triumph over prejudice and ignorance. There was a time when a show like this was unheard of; that it is a triumph on Broadway is a tribute to the work of decades to overcome unequal stereotypes.
Not that we still don’t have a long way to go. But it’s a start.
image courtesy of Newscom
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