‘The Rose Tattoo’: Rarely revived Williams gem

‘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