HISTORIC ALL BLACK CAST STARS IN BROADWAY REVIVAL OF CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF

Dreamgirls star Anika Noni Rose and Oscar Nominee Terence Howard starred on the Broadway Broadhurst Theater in a revival of Tennesse Williams play "Cat on A Hot Tin Roof." The historic production directed by Debbie Allen starred an historic all African-American cast with Anika Noni Rose playing seductress "Maggie the Cat" and Terence Howard as "Brick".

Phylicia Rashad and James Earl Jones portray Big Mama and Big Daddy.

Terence Howard and Anika Noni Rose had big shoes to fill during their portrayal of their characters.

Legendary actors Academy Award winning actors Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor portrayed Maggie and Brick in the classic movie version of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Read some of the NY Times review below.

What sounded promising was the matching of performers and roles. James Earl Jones, of the earth-shaking baritone and overpowering stature, as the tyrannical, filthy-rich Big Daddy; Phylicia Rashad, who won a Tony as the long-suffering matriarch in the recent revival of “A Raisin in the Sun,” as his long-suffering wife: it was as if these parts were their birthrights.

Most tantalizing of all was the idea of Mr. Howard as their alcoholic son, Brick. Mr. Howard brought an eye-opening freshness to the perennial screen archetype of the sensitive but manly brooder in his Oscar-nominated turn as a small-time pimp in “Hustle & Flow.” The big question, it seemed, was whether Ms. Rose, hitherto known as an able supporting actress (“Caroline, or Change” and the film version of “Dreamgirls”), would be able to hold her own in such daunting company.

As it turns out, Ms. Rose more than holds her own. She pretty much runs the show whenever she’s onstage, and when she’s not, the show misses her management. Mr. Howard and Mr. Jones have moments that suggest what they might have made (and possibly still could make) of their roles. And Ms. Rashad presents a creditable, if arguably misconceived, Big Mama. But this time it’s Maggie who rules the Pollitt family’s dusty old house of lies. source

 

Terrence Howard on his broadway debut and his theatre roots

Anika Noni Rose on Maggie the "Cat"

Scenes from Movie starring Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor