‘THE ROSE TATTOO’: Marisa Tomei. Photo: Joan Marcus

THE ROSE TATTOO
Written by Tennessee Williams
Directed by Trip Cullman
Through December 8, 2019
American Airlines Theatre
227 West 42nd Street
(212-719-1300), www.RoundaboutTheatre.org

By David NouNou

The Rose Tattoo is not one of Tennessee Williams’ more revived plays because of the demanding role of Serafina Delle Rose. Unlike any of Mr. Williams’ fragile heroines, whether Amanda Wingfield from The Glass Menagerie, Blanche DuBois from A Streetcar Named Desire, Alma Winemiller from Summer and Smoke or Hannah Jelkes from The Night of the Iguana, they are all sisters or cousins of each other, sharing the bond of being one step away from the brink of a breakdown. Serafina is unique; she’s governed by her heart and emotions and not her mind or the fragility of it. She is a passionate Italian woman and very few actresses can embody her.

Originally written for Italian actress Anna Magnani—she refused the part because of her lack of command of the English language—the part then went to Maureen Stapleton, a great American stage actress and she won her first Tony Award for the role. In 1955, Burt Lancaster made the movie version of The Rose Tattoo, starring Anna Magnani in an Oscar-winning role. If you know anything about either actress, you know why it is such a difficult role to cast.

Set in 1950 in a Gulf Coast village between New Orleans and Mobile, Serafina (Marisa Tomei), a seamstress, is a married woman whose soul is bound to her Catholic faith, the statue of the Madonna she keeps in her house and her boundless love for her husband, Rosario. Tonight, she is awaiting the arrival of her husband, a truck driver who carries bananas with illegal items under them. She deifies the man; she loves his body, the smell of roses in his hair, and the rose tattoo on his chest.

Her waiting is interrupted by the chorus of woman who descend upon her and give her the news of her husband’s death. She dissolves not out of frailty but due to the loss of lust for the deceased man. After mourning for three years, Serafina has gone to pot, and is a slovenly mess, still devoted to her late husband’s memory. Serafina locks her daughter Rosa (Ella Rubin) in her room and doesn’t allow her to go to her graduation because she has been seeing a sailor, Jack (Burke Swanson).

After much pleading by the chorus for their daughter’s graduation dresses and upon the urging of the teen’s headmistress, Rosa is allowed to go. As Serafina is getting ready to go to the graduation, a customer comes in for her blouse and taunts Serafina that her husband wasn’t as faithful as she thought he was, and that he had an affair with a casino dealer for over a year. This sends Serafina into a rage until the arrival of Alvaro Mangiacavallo (Emun Ellott), also a Sicilian truck driver of bananas. Alvaro is the opposite of her husband in every way (except for his body) and they begin to console each other. He even sets her on the path of discovery about her late husband and the mistress he had which causes Serafina to smash her husband’s urn with his ashes in it. This exorcises Serafina’s demons and lets her be the passionate woman she once was.

This saga is not a typical Tennessee Williams turgid tale. It is not lyrical in any way and does not possess his eloquent, almost poetic style. Instead, it is raw in nature, and there is redemption for Serafina and a happy ending.

The Rose Tattoo really is a lovely play and, if done properly, it can be luminous because it is gutsy and deals with human relations and emotions in many forms. Unfortunately, director Trip Cullman has cast it unevenly and his direction aims for too much lowbrow humor at the expense of the drama. His sometimes inconsistent direction is a detriment to the play.

Marisa Tomei gives a brave, heartfelt interpretation of Serafina, it is lusty and bold, but physically she lacks the slovenly widowed harridan quality that is so desperately needed in the middle of the play until Mangiacavallo comes on the scene. Serafina has to transform from a widow still riddled with grief to a lady with a big heart and come back to life again. Ms. Tomei manages to capture the character’s essences here and there, but she is too lovely and svelte to be a disheveled matron.

Emun Elliott makes a delightful Mangiacavallo but lacks the chemistry to set off sparks between these two passionate Sicilians. With fine-tuned casting of the supporting cast and tighter direction, The Rose Tattoo can be a glorious play. If you like Tennessee Williams’ works, you should never miss the opportunity of seeing The Rose Tattoo, because you never know when it will be revived again.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published October 23, 2019
Reviewed at October 22, 2019 press performance.

‘THE ROSE TATTOO’: Marisa Tomei. Photo: Joan Marcus

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BLOW OUT YOUR CANDLES, LAURA: Celia Keenan-Bolger meets ‘gentleman caller’ Brian J. Smith in ‘The Glass Menagerie.’ Photo: Michael J. Lutch

THE GLASS MENAGERIE
By Tennessee Williams
Directed by John Tiffany
Booth Theatre
222 West 45th Street
(800) 447-7400, http://theglassmenageriebroadway.com/

By Scott Harrah

Note to any producers in the future, thinking about a Broadway revival of an American classic:  This is how it’s done.  Tennessee Williams’ first play is also his most delicate, and some might argue, surprisingly accessible.  This epic of a St. Louis family in the 1930s has none of the vivacity of his later plays, but its simplicity makes it particularly heartbreaking and timeless. It only works with the right cast, without gimmicks. Despite some noticeable changes only purists might argue over, this is the most authentic Tennessee Williams production (of any of his plays) on Broadway in decades.

Director John Tiffany and scenic designer Bob Crowley have made some stylistic enhancements to The Glass Menagerie, from a reflecting pool of water to a stylized set featuring a tower of fire escapes, but nothing is distracting, and Williams’ simplistic yet florid dialogue and tragic story remain intact. The production recently transferred to Broadway from the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, MA.

The vulnerability Cherry Jones brings to Amanda Wingfield, the domineering mother, is both refreshing and true to the character.  Whether she’s nagging her children or recalling her glory days in Dixieland, we hear the sounds of desperation in every syllable.

Zachary Quinto’s take on Tom, the protagonist and narrator, is powerful in all the right places:  Sometimes nervous, ill at ease, with hyperactive movements. Whether he is arguing with his mother or talking about the drudgery of working in a shoe factory and spending mysterious nights at the movies, he displays an impressive range of awkward longing and raw emotions.

Celia Keenan-Bolger’s Laura is perhaps the strongest asset of this production. As written, the crippled, painfully shy character can easily be seen as fragile, but not terribly interesting.  However, Ms. Keenan-Bolger adds new dimensions here and thrives as a pretty but mentally and physically damaged being, relating only to her glass animal collection and words of encouragement from her brother and mother.  There is plenty of life in Ms. Keenan-Bolger’s Laura, and she really shines as an about-to-blossom flower when the famous Gentleman Caller (Brian J. Smith) arrives. Mr. Smith is entertaining as the man Tom invites over for dinner, after Amanda insists on finding a suitor for “Sister.”

The main thing missing here (often featured in other productions) is the large portrait of Mr. Wingfield, the father who left the family years earlier. But we don’t miss it, for it’s more realistic to not see the person who hasn’t been seen for ages in this doomed household.  These subtle directorial choices by John Tiffany, combined with the exceptional acting, make this a perfectly polished Glass Menagerie we may never see again.

REVIVAL REINVENTS ‘GLASS MENAGERIE’: (left to right) Zachary Quinto, Cherry Jones & Celia Keenan-Bolger in Williams’ superb memory play. Photo: Michael J. Lutch

MOTHER & DAUGHTER DISCORD: (left to right) Celia Keenan-Bolger & Cherry Jones in ‘The Glass Menagerie.’ Photo: Michael J. Lutch

The Glass Menagerie – 7 Tony Nominations, including: Best Drama Revival, Best Dramatic Actress – Cherry Jones, Best Dramatic Supporting Actress – Celia Keenan Bolger, Best Dramatic Supporting Actor – Brian J. Smith, Best Director – John Tiffany, Best Set Design, & BEST LIGHTING DESIGN – NATASHA KATZ.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published October 4, 2013
Reviewed at press performance on October 2, 2013

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