Would you believe it, there once were patriarchs who were addressed as ‘Big Daddy’, like the plantation owner Harvey Pollitt in Tennessee Williams’ play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. First performed in the mid-1950s, the Southern drama was made into a film a few years later, starring Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman in the leading roles. New York choreographer Trajal Harrell uses the play as a starting point and explains: “I’ve always wanted to do this piece because I’ve been working on catwalk movements for a long time and on how to translate them into dance vocabulary.” Catwalk and Maggie, the cat, meet in a colourful, fashion-oriented performance that is characteristic of Harrell’s work. The focus of this group piece is entirely on the black servants in the patriarch’s house, Harrell himself plays a ‘Big Mama’ who dances and raps. Beautiful fabrics and cushions are piled up on his stage, and, given that the piece revolves around the catwalk, you can expect a good helping of voguing to hot music – from Bruce Springsteen to Mulatu Astatke through to Julio Iglesias.
Austrian Premiere
Duration: 60 Minutes
