Even great playwrights sometimes have to compromise. But, occasionally, they get a chance to revisit the work later and align it more with their original intentions.

Such was the case for Tennessee Williams and "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." He made some changes to his "Cat" at the behest of director Elia Kazan before the work's 1955 Broadway debut. The dramatist acquiesced to, among various shifts, making the conclusion less ambiguous. Other points of contention, according to the New York Times, included how sympathetic the character of Maggie should be. And since this was the mid-1950s, Williams had to use less blunt language at certain points.

Nearly two decades later, Williams returned to rewrite "Cat" for another production, bringing it closer to what he had envisioned all along.

Groton Regional Theatre is staging that 1974 script, and director Vic Panciera says that Williams said in the foreward that he had to compromise some of the characters in order to get it produced on Broadway.

"He said it bothered him because people (such as Brick) don't change that quickly, and he wanted to go back to what he wanted the ending to be. ... We (now) close with the possibility that Brick might change or he might not change. We don't know," Panciera says.

GRT, by the way, is the second local theater group to produce "Cat" this year. Flock Theatre did the 1955 script, Panciera notes.

"Cat" takes place on a Mississippi plantation, among family members beset by secrets and drama. Brick tries to drink away his anguish. His wife, Maggie, lashes out over Brick's lack of sexual interest in her, and she has her eye on the family's inheritance. That might be up for grabs sooner rather than later, since Brick's father, Big Daddy, has become ill.

The three major roles in "Cat" - Maggie, Brick and Big Daddy - are played in the GRT production by, respectively, Amy Kozumplik Kirby, Michael Vernon Davis and David Foulkes.

Panciera says, "I always wanted to work with David Foulkes, Michael Vernon Davis and Amy Kirby - and I have all three of them in the show."

Panciera sees "Cat" as a character study of a unique family.

"Every character is different. Every character is three-dimensional. ... I like each one of them for a different reason. I love Maggie's spunk, her drive to make that relationship work no matter what she has to do. I like Brick for the fact that he can just turn everything off and go to that peaceful little place," he says.

As for Big Daddy, he says Foulkes "brings humanity to the role. There's a vulnerable side of Big Daddy that we try to show - that he has compassion. It's not as one-sided as everyone plays it, that he's this angry person who yells and screams. David makes him warm and caring."

The director and the cast spent the first couple of weeks sitting at a table, reading and talking about the show, the characters and the relationships before putting the production on its feet. That's different from the usual routine, where they start blocking the show during the first rehearsals.

"I thought the relationships were important, and once you get (the show) on its feet, you don't really have the luxury for discussions," Panciera says.

He has always wanted to direct "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof."

"It's a director's dream, really, because of the challenges it presents and how well-written it is," he says. "You can take it in any direction you want."

"Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," Groton Senior Center auditorium, 102 Newtown Road (Route 117); Groton Regional Theatre; opens Fri. and runs through Oct. 19; 8 p.m. Fri. and Sat. and 2 p.m. Sun.; $15, $12 seniors; (860) 446-1363, brownpapertickets.com.