Greed, lies and jealousy: 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'

Patrick Brady plays Big Daddy Pollitt in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." With him are Christy Gallo and Jonathan Harris as Maggie and Brick Pollitt.

"Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," one of Tennessee Williams' best-known works and said to have been his favorite, opens for six performances by Ensemble Theatre of Chattanooga on Friday, Aug. 25, through Sunday, Sept. 3

Set in the Mississippi Delta, "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" is a steamy story of manipulation, greed, sexual repression and jealousy. The story revolves around the family of cotton tycoon Big Daddy Pollitt. With thoughts of his mortality looming, Big Daddy struggles to control his family while everyone has their own agenda to meet.

His son, Brick, an ex-football star, and his daughter-in-law, Maggie the "Cat," are caught in a fruitless marriage full of lies, identity crisis and addiction. Brick's brother, Gooper, has been attempting to gain control of the family and Maggie fears Gooper and his wife, Mae, will end up with the Pollitt estate.

Now all the family has gathered to celebrate Big Daddy's birthday. Can their animosity toward each other be kept in check for one night?

"The plays I direct have to be personal for me in some shape or form," says Garry Lee Posey. "'Cat,' on many levels, meets that requisite.

"But what I enjoy even more is listening to the flow and mood and nuance and subtext, the words that Williams may not have written but crafted with those words which he did. There's a palatable smoothness to the hard truths that Williams explores, like sipping a top-shelf bourbon on the rocks while creaking back and forth in the antique rocking chair in the 100 degree heat after a day of back-breaking sweaty labor."

Patrick Brady stars as Big Daddy, Christy Gallo as Maggie and Jonathan Harris as Brick. Rounding out the talented cast are Jennifer Arbogast Wilson, Ashley Burkhart, Amanda Havelin, Ryan Laskowski, David Martinez and Eric "Red" Wyatt.