Hinds County Sheriff Malcolm McMillin gets stage fright.
"Sometimes to the point that I get sick," he says, laughing.
Many who know the veteran law officer might find that surprising because of his sometimes bigger-than-life presence.
"That is one of the things I love about working with Malcolm—when he walks into a space or room, you know he is there," says Francine Reynolds, artistic director at New Stage Theatre in Jackson.
McMillin returns Oct. 27 to New Stage after a 10-year absence to play the role of Big Daddy in Tennessee Williams' 1955 Pulitzer Prize-winning play Cat On A Hot Tin Roof. It runs Oct. 27 through Nov. 1 and Nov. 4 through Nov. 8.
McMillin played the part of Big Daddy—patriarch and tycoon of a chaotic Southern family—nearly three decades ago at New Stage.
"I was actually too young to be cast in the part back then," he says. "But Big Daddy is 65. I'm 65. I think I know a lot more about the character than I did back then.
"He's real. He has flaws that I see in a lot of people, including myself. His language is, shall we say, awful. And sometimes so is mine, though I'm trying to clean that up."
McMillin says he has missed acting.
"I enjoyed it when I did a lot of work at New Stage," he says, "but it requires a lot of time, and I've been rather busy. But I'm glad it's worked out where I could take this role because this is such a talented cast ... probably the best I've ever worked with."
Emily Wright of Brandon takes on the role of Maggie "The Cat" Pollitt, who married into Big Daddy's wealthy family. James Thompson of Brandon plays her husband, Brick, a drink-happy former football star who focuses more on the family fortune than his marriage.
McMillin says it took some adjusting after being away from the stage.
"I have to work a lot harder now, just to keep up," McMillin says. "These actors are younger, sharper and quick learners. I'm just happy to have the opportunity to work with them. They're pros.
"And unless somebody has done this sort of thing, I don't think they fully appreciate it. Once you go on stage, there isn't someone to yell 'Cut!' and there isn't someone to say 'Take it from the top.' If you mess up a line, everybody in the place usually knows it. But when it comes off right, the theater can be pure magic."
Reynolds says it has been more than 15 years since New Stage produced a play written by the late Williams, a Columbus native who is considered one of the nation's greatest playwrights.\
"The return of one of his works to our stage is long overdue," Reynolds says, "and I think Cat On A Hot Tin Roof was the perfect choice. The passion, power and timelessness of the characters make it an American classic."
McMillin says New Stage's value to Jackson and the surrounding area is immeasurable.
"The arts are extremely important to any community," he says. "We have the local ballet, the symphony, the international ballet competition, visual arts. We have a combination of it all. But without New Stage, our community would be the lesser for it."
