Broadway’s all black production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof will arrive at the Novello this November. The show boasts some big names, starring the Cosby Show’s Phylicia Rashad as Big Mama and the legendary Star Wars actor James Earl Jones as the tyrannical Big Daddy.

The production received mixed reviews on Broadway but it defied the critics and sold out its entire run at the Broadhurst Theatre within weeks. Only intended as a limited run, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof did not extend, despite enormous demand. A London staging was announced some weeks ago, yet a venue was only confirmed this week.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, with its Broadway success and big names, will hopefully put the Novello back on its feet. The venue is now commonly associated with its early closing musicals than the hugely successful plays it has staged. The 2008/2009 RSC season was a phenomenon at the Novello, thanks in no small part to  David Tennant’s appearance in Hamlet, which caused riots at stage door. Shadowlands starring Charles dance was also a success at the Novello, playing its extension out at the Wyndham’s.

The closure of Spring Awakening last month has prompted two very good decisions for the Novello. A limited run of An Inspector Calls begins in September. Being on the national curriculum, Priestley’s classic will bring in audiences by the coachload.

However, it is Cat on a Hot Tin Roof that promises to be the hit the Novello deserves. Joining Rashad and Jones is British actor Adrian Lester, star of popular TV shows Bonekickers and Hustle. An all black production of a classic play is a surefire hit with a ready made audience, and already looks to be the hot ticket of 2010.

Performances of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof begin on 21 November.