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Theatre & Box Office |
Reprinted with permission of The Times of Northwest Indiana. Anniversary Special BY TIM SHELLBERG It seems fitting that Valparaiso's Community Theatre Guild is bringing Tennessee Williams' classic "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" to the stage right about now. "It's the 50th anniversary of the theater, and it's also the 50th anniversary of this show," said play co-director Donna Blanchard. "And it's a wonderful, well-written script." Opening today and running through June 5 at Valparaiso's Chicago Street Theatre, "Cat" tells the story of Big Daddy Pollitt, who is visited by sons Brick and Gooper and their wives on his 65th birthday. Yet all parties involved are struggling with their own demons, internal, romantic and otherwise, and troubled relationships. The play opened on Broadway in 1955 and netted Williams a Pulitzer Prize. It also made its way to the big screen in 1958, starring Paul Newman, Burl Ives and Elizabeth Taylor. "There's a lot of guts in every character," Blanchard said. "They all have depth. They say 90 percent of a director's job is casting, but I wouldn't go that far (when it comes to this play)." Starring as Big Daddy is David Pera from Valparaiso. He is joined onstage by Dan Matern of Chesterton as Gooper, Eric Brant of Valparaiso as Brick, Patricia Bird of Valparaiso as Gooper's wife, Mae and Heather McCalment of La Porte as Brick's wife Margaret. "We're a group of people that likes to take on challenges," said Blanchard, who resides in Merrillville. "If a high school group did the show, they could do it on the surface. But you wouldn't see the depth of it. It takes a great deal of talent in finding everything that Tennessee Williams put there and bringing it out." "Cat" is the final return performance in the Community Theatre Guild's golden anniversary season, which included productions of past favorites such as "Annie," "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie," and "The Pied Piper." "Cat" was last brought to the stage by the Community Theatre Guild in their 1988-89 season. "I hope that (viewers) are entertained while they're in the theater, and the show gives them conversation fodder for hours to come (following the performance)," Blanchard said. "That's what I think makes it truly art." Their final production of the 2004-05 season will be "When We Were Alive," written by and starring the Guild's Jim Henry. "Alive" is set to open July 8. "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" runs at 8 tonight, Saturday, May 27, 28, June 2, 3, 4 and at 2:30 p.m. June 5. onstage |
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'Cat' and Valparaiso theatre celebrate 50-year milestone together