#Cat on a Hot Tin Roof - Tennessee Williams

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@half ice,@uncut coral,@keen path,@restive zephyr,@deft maple,@mighty bluff,@pseudo juniper,@twin stump,@hard kestrel,@simple axle,@unreal osprey,@slate hound,@tall holly,@plush sapphire

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Welcome back to the theater my darlings!

It’s nearly curtain time! This Buddy Read for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (a main course for https://discord.com/channels/811077227449286667/1455042754307424438 ) will begin on May 1st and continue throughout all of 2026. I’m so excited to be returning to the stage and exploring this award-winning play with all of you! I plan to read it during Pride Month.

This play opened on Broadway in 1955, has had many revivals (with a revised version of the script in 1974) and was adapted into a film a few times. It is based on the short story “Three Players of a Summer Game” written by Tennessee Williams between 1953-55. Set in the Southern US state of Mississippi, it features regional dialect and attitudes of the time earning it a “Southern Gothic” label. It famously touches on difficult social subjects and prejudices, so please check for trigger warnings as needed: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/fe03df65-f365-4d39-b32a-ca792ee2efaf/content_warnings

Do you have the original (1955) or revised edition (1974)? I will be leading using the “definitive edition” as an ebook, which has the revised script and also includes his notes, an essay and an intro by fellow playwright Edward Albee.

A few questions:

  • Have you seen this play or a film adaptation before?
  • What do you expect from the setting of Mississippi in 1955?
  • This author belonged to the Queer community during a time of repression. How do you think that will surface in his writings?
  • Do you have any special strategies that you use when reading a play vs reading a novel?

Happy Reading!

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half ice
keen path
tall holly
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  • I haven't actually seen or read this before. I've heard of it and have a loose understanding of it, but am going in fairly blind.
  • I think this will be pretty steeped in prejudice. Both for the time period and the location of being in the south.
  • I'm not too sure how that will surface in the writing, but I am interested in seeing where it leads.
  • Not really. I kind of just vibe with what I'm reading and hope to get fully invested.
keen path
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Oh this is the same author as streetcar named Desiree

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Finished the first chapter, no wonder ||it's sad||

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From the title I thought it could have been a comedy but guess not

keen path
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Finished, ||damn 😑||

restive zephyr
keen path
mighty bluff
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  • Have you seen this play or a film adaptation before?

No, I have not!

  • What do you expect from the setting of Mississippi in 1955?

I don't really know much about Mississippi in 1955 sadly.

  • This author belonged to the Queer community during a time of repression. How do you think that will surface in his writings?

It might surface in interesting ways, or it might not surface at all, so will have to see!

  • Do you have any special strategies that you use when reading a play vs reading a novel?

Not really, I just read them all the same!

tall holly
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Starting!

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Apparently my version has 3 different Act 3s. Will see what that’s about and differentiate them when I make notes.
(I have also realized my % may not match up to others with these extras. Hopefully this doesn’t ruin anything with spoilers.)

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Pre-Acts
||I love the description used for the set. It is a clear design of what to expect and the call out that a set is “the background for a play that deals with human extremities of emotion” is a nice touch. With plays the background is just as important to the story at times as the rest.||

keen path
tall holly
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Act 1 - 14%
||Children being called “monsters” seems accurate in this description that Margaret is giving of the events at the dinner. Not to say all children are like this baby means, but these seem like they are pretty wild.

Margaret is a bit of a gossip. And it seems there is a lot of dislike amongst each other in this family. I understand Margaret’s fear and worry that her and Brick won’t receive any inheritance. Her in-laws seem like people bent on getting their own way. Although, we are only seeing one side of this.

The events and dialogue here are so fast-paced. I feel bad for Margaret. It seems like Brick is pretty indifferent to her at times. And Big Mama is very clear on thinking that the issues with the relationship is Margaret and nothing to do with Brick.||

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Act 1 - 19%
||Brick seems very adamant that Margaret should take a lover. This seems weird to me, as this is so out of being normal.

Oh, I wasn’t expecting her to have had a one time thing with Skipper (a friend of Brick’s). It sounds like Skipper and Brick potentially had feelings and couldn’t act on them. Or am I reading too much into that?

Margaret just came out and said it direct to Skipper, so guess I wasn’t wrong. Ouch, Brick saying that he can’t stand Margaret is harsh. Definitely gives more power to the thought of him having feelings for Skipper instead of Margaret.||

tall holly
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Act 2 - 31%
||Big Daddy is being so honest right now. And his wife is not liking it. This family does seem to have some issues and power struggles happening pretty much constantly.

He still hasn’t blown out the birthday candles on the cake. I like this small call out as we keep progressing through the scene.||

tall holly
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Act 2 - 43%
||This family just running in and out of the room like they don’t have manners. (I do understand that it’s needed to keep events moving and allow for other conflict. I also feel the frustration of the characters who just want to have some peace.)

Brick over here talking about how Big Daddy always talks in circles whenever they chat like he isn’t doing the same thing.

The way they don’t seem to understand one another or wan to fully listen is also tough. Brick has it in his mind that Big Daddy has already come to a conclusion about him and Skipper, even if that doesn’t seem to be the case based on the fathers’s words. At least, Big Daddy does appear to be fine with it, or at least is brushing it aside as something that is bound to happen in a person’s youth.||

tall holly
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Act 3 (original) - 57%
||Wow. This family definitely has a lot of issues that should be worked through. Big Mama’s reaction to the news that her husband actually dos have cancer is sad to see. She does seem to care for him. Mae and Gooper are so determined to gain control of the plantation. These interactions just seem wild to me.||

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Act 3 (updated) - 74%
||The changes made here were interesting. I think the story makes sense either way and both work/get the thoughts across. I can see how this update would have gone over well.||

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The remaining 26% in my version are additional notes and Act 3 with a full breakdown of blocking, so I won’t dive into those details.

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Finished!
||This family is so dysfunctional. Everyone seems to be at each other’s throats and no one even seems to like one another. Gooper and Mae are doing their best to get the inheritance/plantation when the father dies, but I feel like they want it solely because of the money. Not that they will necessarily be able to keep it running properly.

I feel bad for Brick and Margaret with their crumbling marriage. I think they married each other for different reasons and that makes for a difficult ability to be close and understanding. I think Skipper and the relationship that he had with both also greatly impacts this. I felt so bad for Skipper.

Having never read this, I really don’t know what to expect. Every moment of this was a wild ride. Definitely glad that I have finally read this!||

half ice
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thought i checked the book out and its apparently a "readers guid to essential criticism" on it pepeStarege

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smh

half ice
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ok am starting

half ice
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wtf is this

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act one ||so... why is margaret staying with brick who clearly doesnt love her? im confused. sometimes shes smart, like when the mother asked if she makes her son happy in bed (weird ass question to ask btw) and margaret was like what about my happiness it works both ways and im like wow thats like. fucking revolutionary in this time period||

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end act one ||lord margaret wants to have a kid with a man who doesnt love her just for the social standing with some dickheads...||

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act two ||"Ignorance of mortality is a comfort. A man don't have that comfrt, he's the only living thing that conceives of death, that knows what it is." crazy that its true. to be a deep fin squid in the deep sea and not worry bout nothin..||

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act two ||wow its sad for mama, she suddenly learns that her husband has hated her that whole time||

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act two ||well. dad clearly needs to die horribly. of cancer. painfully. and slowly.||

half ice
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act three ||"big mama has a dignity at this moment: she almost stops being fat" LMAO WHAT does that even mean kekCry ||

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act three ||good god mae could at least pretend to be sad lol||

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act three ||also talk about terrible doctors. they told them it wasnt cancer before even testing it??||

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act three ||"a child will make you pul yourself together and quit this drinking"i know (severely hope) margaret is lying just to get mae to shut up but thats insane lol. ah yes the classic have a kid to fix your problems... impending divorce, drinking, drugs... make a child fix it! from 1955 but people still think this way today.. crazy||

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act three ||i guess gooper and mae are angry that they done bred like rabbits and the parents still hate them lol ||

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act three ||also how is brick not dead yet. did someone keep track of how many shots hes taken? somebody is going to die tonight and i think i know who lmao||

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act three ||oh margaret is threatening to rape brick now. cool||

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finished...

restive zephyr
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starting this soooooooon!

restive zephyr
# charred beacon Welcome back to the theater my darlings! It’s nearly curtain time! This Buddy R...

Have you seen this play or a film adaptation before?
I have not
What do you expect from the setting of Mississippi in 1955?
Stylized courtesy and over-the-top mannerisms. I expect there to be racism, classism, misogyny and other pre-conceived prejudices
This author belonged to the Queer community during a time of repression. How do you think that will surface in his writings?
I expect it to come through as anger and frustration over being forced to play a part or hide truths, and maybe some sly references
Do you have any special strategies that you use when reading a play vs reading a novel?
I try to visualize it on a stage and imagine the tones of voice, emotional expressions and the pacing of the dialogue in my head

restive zephyr
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Act 1 || welp. This is not shying at all away from the damage that being closeted caused. Misery all around when people are not allowed to love whom they love openly. I hate that people felt like they needed to marry just to camouflage their preferences.

Maggie talks a lot. She is absolutely carrying this play so far. I don’t care much for Brick or his family so far. I feel like there is going to be even more unfavorable comparison between Maggie and Mae before this is all over and it’s gonna have to do with motherhood in the 1950s. I absolutely do not think that anyone should become a mother who is not ready for that life changing experience. Certainly not just to make the in-laws happy. Grrr

I wonder whether Big Daddy really is sick, that he used to be an overseer at the plantation is pretty gross. So far representation of Black people has been stereotypical and diminishing. But that’s pretty much what I expected from 1955 in Mississippi||

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It struck me as interesting ||that Maggie said she “came out” as a debutante since that phrase has such a different yet relevant meaning now||