The Camelot Players present Tennessee Williams’ "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" May 9 thru 17 at the Tyngsboro Country Club Lodge.   Pictured above are cast and crew members <back row> Irene Meaney, Tom Shanahan, Ron Freitas, Dick Meaney, <middle row> Kevin Dumont, Ruth E. Lebrun, Jack Dacey, Carol Lyman, <seated> Jennifer Ehlert, Ruthe Monahan and Ed Phaneuf. Photo by JulieAnn Govang

TYNGSBORO, MA: Spring has sprung and to help celebrate, the Camelot Players of Greater Lowell have locked themselves away in a Dunstable barn, feverishly rehearsing for their upcoming production of Tennessee Williams’ classic drama, "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." The production, sponsored by The Merrimack Journal, will run Fridays and Saturdays, May 9, 10, 16 and 17 at 8:00pm at the Tyngsboro Country Club Lodge. 

"Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" is a story of an affluent Southerner, Big Daddy Pollitt (Jack Dacey of Lowell), who is dying of cancer. The family gathers at the Mississippi mansion for his birthday, aware that this may be his last. Big Daddy does not know, however, because the family doctor, eldest son Gooper (Kevin Dumont of Dunstable), and his wife, Mae (Ruth E. Lebrun of Methuen), decide to keep the fact concealed from him. Two other family members join the clan for the party, Brick (Ed Phaneuf of Tewksbury), the youngest Pollitt, and his beautiful wife, Maggie (Jennifer Ehlert of Dunstable). Gooper and Brick are the only heirs to Big Daddy's enormous estate, and Gooper is well aware that Brick is the favorite son. In an effort to win Big Daddy over, Gooper and Mae make a display of themselves and their children, hoping the patriarch will notice that they will provide heirs for the estate. They are out to discredit Brick and Maggie, who do not have children. Brick seems destined to live the rest of his life in a drunken stupor. Maggie is on to Gooper and Mae's plan and approaches her husband about it. Explaining their scheme to steal away the family fortune, Maggie begs Brick to make love to her, but he suspects she has been unfaithful to him and refuses. Brick, who has broken his leg in a drunken attempt to relive his youth, is on crutches throughout the film and keeps to his room during the visit. Obviously racked with inner pain, Brick drinks steadily and is filled with remorse and guilt over the suicide of his best friend. In a dramatic interplay between father and son, Big Daddy forces this admission out of Brick. Lashing back for bringing his emotions to the surface, Brick spits out the truth about Big Daddy's cancer. Later, in a desperate attempt to help Brick, Maggie announces to Big Daddy that she's pregnant. It's a lie, of course, but Brick is touched by her loyalty to him. The conversation between he and his father seems to have expelled the fog that he's hidden in for so long, and he's ready to confront life again. Maggie's outpouring of love prompts him to make good.

Directed by Chelmsford resident Irene J. Meaney, with production coordination by Richard L. Meaney and assistance by Carol Lyman of North Chelmsford, also in the "Cat" cast are Ron Freitas of Lowell as Dr. Baugh, Ruth E. Monahan of West Chelmsford as Big Mama, Phillis Rock of North Chelmsford as Sookey, Tom Shanahan of Lowell as Reverend, Alissa Capra of Tyngsboro as Trixie, David Robson of Nashua (NH) as Buster, Rose Lahue of Tyngsboro as Dixie, and Cote McCullock of Tyngsboro as Sonny.

"Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" is a play about the human experience in a society, which tries to dictate to people how they should live, and at a time where lack of human communication leads to the unavoidable loneliness of man. In the overcharged circumstances of a family crisis many truths are revealed about human feeling: our desperate fear of death, our love of life, our hidden guilt, our insecurities, our inability to face the truth, our materialism, our greatness, our pettiness. Due to the adult subject matter, it is not recommended for younger audiences.

Tickets are $10, if purchased in advance; $12 at the door; and $8 for seniors at all performances.  To reserve tickets, you can call (978) 649-7613.  You can also write to Camelot Players, 341 Forest Street, Dunstable, MA 01827, including the number of tickets you'd like, for which performance, enclosing a check or money order.  Lastly, you can reserve your tickets online at www.jacneed.com/CAMELOT/Home.htm.   All orders will be confirmed.