Jim Tharp and Jo Pruden have played husband and wife six times on the local stage over the last quarter-century, including roles as Big Daddy and Big Mama in Diamond Head Theatre’s 1991 production of Tennessee Williams’ Pulitzer Prize-winning drama "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof."
The two are revisiting those roles as The Actors’ Group presents its version of Williams’ mid-’50s hit.
The story is a study in greed, secrecy, sexual desire and "mendacity" (the tendency to lie) in the American South.
| ‘CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF’
>> Where: The Actors’ Group Theatre, 650 Iwilei Road
>> When: 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays, through July 14
>> Cost: $20 (discounts available; $12 for all seats Thursdays)
>> Info: 722-6941 or www.taghawaii.net Opens in a new tab
|
Big Daddy Pollitt is a self-made millionaire who owns 28,000 acres of the best farmland in the Mississippi Delta. He has been in failing health for several years and each of his two daughters-in-law is scheming nonstop to ensure her respective husband will be the one to get control of his assets.
Older son Gooper (Tim Jeffryes), also known within the family as "Brother Man," is a successful attorney. He and his wife, Mae (Karen Valasek), also known as "Sister Woman," are expecting their fifth child, ensuring plenty of heirs. However, Gooper feels his parents always liked his younger brother better — and he’s right.
The favored younger son, Brick (Scott Francis Russell), a sports star in high school, is an aimless 30-year-old alcoholic. He refuses to have sex with his wife, Maggie (Lauren Murata), or make any effort to secure his claim to the plantation.
Murata plays Maggie as aggressive and hard-as-nails in trying to get a rise from the passive-aggressive Brick. The tension builds as other characters cycle through the couple’s bedroom. Gooper and Sister Woman know all about their rivals’ marital woes; Sister Woman isn’t above taunting them about it.
Once Big Daddy arrives on the scene almost everything revolves around Tharp and his riveting portrayal of the ailing patriarch. None of these people is "nice" — even the local preacher is angling for a generous bequest when Big Daddy kicks the bucket — but in Tharp’s performance Big Daddy becomes the most sympathetic and honorable figure in the bunch.
In recent years, Pruden has been most visible playing waspish or manipulative women; in their last show together Tharp’s character was victimized by Pruden’s. This time Tharp is playing the ruthless and manipulative partner, and Pruden is the vulnerable one. The compelling role reversal is another thing that makes TAG’s "Cat" a special moment in island theater.
