In order to keep up his spirits, his doctors have lied to him about his true condition. His wife is in denial. Their Golden Boy son, Brick, has taken to drink. Their eldest son, Gooper, is trying to take charge of affairs. The daughters-in-law, Maggie and Mae, are squaring off to see who can secure the biggest chunk of one of the largest estates in the Mississippi Delta for their husbands.

Long-standing rivalries and resentments along with some deeply held secrets will be revealed before the night is over.

Not every playwright could handle all of the mendacity and machinations while providing us with richly drawn and deeply flawed characters that we can honestly care about. Fortunately, we are in the hands of Tennessee Williams, one of America’s best playwrights and perhaps our best chronicler of the mid-20th century South.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof won Williams his second Pulitzer Prize for Drama and he said in multiple interviews that it was his favorite of his plays. He continued honing it for nearly 20 years after the original production. The result is a darkly funny, heartbreaking analysis of a family in crisis and the lies we tell each other and ourselves.

The production is rated R for language and adult situations. It stars Morgan Spencer as Maggie, Michael Butler as Brick, Aaron Mann as Gooper, Megan Gerig as Mae, Susan Domer as Big Mama, Thom Hofrichter as Big Daddy, James Del Priore as Doc Baugh, and Scott Strode as Reverend Tooker. Set design is by Therrin Eber, costume design is by Jeneatte Walsh, the production manager is Rae Surface, and the stage manager is Courtney Wallace.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof previews Thursday, Feb. 20, at 7:30 p.m. (for the preview only all seats are $12). The play then runs Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. from Feb. 21 through March 7, with one Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. on March 1.

Tickets are $20 general admission, $18 for patrons age 65+, and free for the first 30 full-time students per performance who make reservations. All seating is festival seating (first come, first served) and doors will open 30 minutes prior to curtain. To reserve a ticket call the Box Office at (260) 426-7421 ext. 121; the hours are Thursdays and Fridays from 11 a.m.-2 p.m., and one hour prior to every performance. Or call another time and leave a message and we will call you back.

Usually at FPT if you are deciding last minute most nights you can walk up and get a ticket the night of the show. You can also buy tickets, as well as find out all about FPT, by going to our website at firstpresbyteriantheater.com.