Rapper on a Hot Tin Roof

Broadway is to theater as Hollywood is to moviemaking. That is to say they are both commercial ventures interested more in making lots of money than producing anything of great artistic merit.

Thus it should come as no surprise to anyone (certainly not me) that rapper and sometime film and tv actor LL Cool J is being considered for an all-Black revival of the Tennessee Williams play, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, hoping to make its way to Broadway in October.

This latest bit of stunt casting follows P Diddy’s star turn as Walter Lee Younger in A Raisin in the Sun three years ago and is clearly designed to get young, non-theater-going butts in the seats. In fairness, introducing stage plays to a new audience is a noble endeavor and the use of celebrities with limited stage experience is nothing new (have you seen Chicago lately).

But as we said when Puff Daddy/Puffy/P Diddy/Sean Combs was cast, the number of serious Black actors who have legitimately paid their dues and who are otherwise unemployed is a long one. Hiring people with no stage experience is a slap in their face.

This play tells the story of Brick, an alcoholic ex-athlete who fends off the amorous advances of his wife Maggie, before engaging in confrontation with his father, Big Daddy. The original Broadway play in 1955 starred Ben Gazzarra, Barbara Bel Geddes and Burl Ives. Ives reprised his role for the 1958 movie version that also starred Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman.

This revival is being directed by Debbie Allen who replaces Kenny Leon, director of Raisin. While none of the casting decisions have been made as of yet, Danny Glover and Louis Gossett Jr. have been talked about for Big Daddy. Thandie Newton and Tony winner Anika Noni Rose (Caroline, or Change) are under discussion for Maggie. Blair Underwood and the very talented Anthony Mackie have also been mentioned as Brick.