New York, March 6, 2008 – A revival of Tennessee Williams’ classic play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof opened on Broadway on Thursday with an unusual twist – an all-black cast.  The big draw here probably isn’t race, however – the all-star cast includes Terrence Howard, James Earl Jones, Phylicia Rashad and Anika Noni Rose, the Tony Award-winning actress who also appeared in the movie Dreamgirls.  Rashad’s sister Debbie Allen directed the play. 

While rumors that Oprah Winfrey, Barack Obama and Bill and Hillary Clinton would attend the opening proved false, the evening was still star-studded with Eartha Kitt, Spike Lee, Jeremy Piven, Hank Aaron, Harry Belafonte and Motown founder Berry Gordy in the audience.  Morgan Freeman told us that he’s in rehearsals for his own Broadway turn in The Country Girl with Frances McDormand and Peter Gallagher, opening in April.

After a standing ovation, everybody headed over to a party at the restaurant Strata.