Scarlett Johansson now has some stage sibling-in-laws to spar with in the upcoming Broadway revival of Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Emily Bergl and Michael Park have joined the cast as Mae and Gooper, respectively. The limited-engagement production will begins performances on December 18 at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, with opening night set for January 17.
Also joining previously announced stars Johansson, Walker, Debra Monk and Ciaran Hinds in the cast are Vin Knight as Reverend Tooker and Brian Reddy as Doctor Baugh. The ensemble includes Will Cobbs, Tanya Birl, Jordan Dean, Lance Roberts and Cherene Snow.
Directed by Rob Ashford, the production will feature scenic design by Christopher Oram, costumes by Julie Weiss, lighting by Neil Austin and music and sound by Adam Cork.
Set in the Mississippi Delta, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is the story of Brick (Walker) and his wife Maggie (Johansson), who are celebrating the 65th birthday of Brick’s father, Big Daddy Pollitt (Hinds). Big Daddy is bothered by the rocky relationship between his beloved son Brick, an aging football hero who has taken up drinking, and his beautiful and feisty wife Maggie. As the hot summer evening unfolds, the veneer of Southern Gentility slips away as unpleasant truths emerge.
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof originally opened on Broadway at the Morosco Theatre on March 24, 1955, starring Barbara Bel Geddes as Maggie and Ben Gazzara as Brick. After winning the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the play has been revived on Broadway four times, including a 2003 production starring Ashley Judd and Jason Patrick. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof was most recently revived in 2008, starring James Earl Jones, Anika Noni Rose, Terrence Howard and Phylicia Rashad.