The curtain is pulled aside languidly to reveal a Southern bedroom, replete with gallery, bed and plenty of "adult libations." South Lakes High Schools' production of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" exposes under the stark stage lights humanity's capacity for mendacity at the deceptively happy occasion of Big Daddy Pollitt's 65th birthday party. Big Daddy's sons, Gooper and Brick , are visiting with their wives, Mae and Maggie, and the hunger for a piece of Big Daddy's ample estate has infected them.
Brick, Big Daddy's favorite son, has arrived in his usual drunken haze. He attempts to ignore the biting honesty of his wife, Maggie the Cat, who is determined to win her husband back from his own destructive self-loathing. The family's discovery of Big Daddy's medical condition quickens the pulse and raises the stakes in their attempts to win his heart — and his money. This process forces everyone to take a closer look at the lives they've chosen to lead.
The play has been double cast by director Maria Harris who has been instructing SLHS actors for the past 16 years. Never reticent to take on complicated themes, Ms. Harris said, "I applaud my talented young actors for undertaking such difficult and challenging characters and for bringing this Tennessee Williams classic play so beautifully to life."
Sam Repshas, a senior playing Brick, said, "I am happy and proud to play Brick. He is a hurting character who uses silence to punish himself and the people that love him. He is complicated and I like that about him."
Michelle Johnson, a sophomore playing Maggie, said that the experience has been "every actor's dream", and sophomore Luc Restivo, who plays Dr. Baugh, described it as "a challenge, but a worthwhile one."
There's no doubt that everyone is excited about the upcoming shows, no matter how challenging they will be. These talented actors are sure to take into reign the complicated and sometimes desperate lives of the characters they portray.
Performances will be April 21-23 and 20-30. For ticket information call 703-715-4589.