Last night, we accompanied Stereohyped to a gypsy run of the Debbie Allen-directed Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Broadway show, the first all-black production of the Tennessee Williams classic. It was the first time the cast, which seemingly just began rehearsals, showed before an open-to-the-public house (if the "public" were press or a friend of the cast or crew).

We happened to have watched an episode of Friday Night Lights immediately before departing for the theatre; we ended up sitting in front of the show's Gaius Charles (aka Smash). It was a good omen: The all-star cast all-star performed.

Anika Noni Rose, in the role of Maggie, carried the show — which is a considerable notion, given she shared the stage with a booming James Earl Jones, as Big Daddy, and Phylicia Rashad, as a heartbroken Big Momma. Terrence Howard, as Brick, was more pliable than we expected, and managed to play drunk on stage with ease; he also broke his prop crutch in a booze-fueled chase across the stage. Unintentional, yet the show must go on.

At three hours, and with two intermissions, one might assume the show dragged. One might have assumed wrong.

If you're 9th grade English Lit class escapes you, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof tells the story of a single night in the life of a Southern family. It's Big Daddy's birthday, they've just discovered he's terminally ill, a fight ensues over the bequeathing of his 28,000 acre Mississippi estate, and, by the way, Brick might have a drinking problem because his closeted gay best friend just died.

We're picturing big things for this production. And so is Vanity Fair; they included the cast in this month's Hollywood issue.