THE ROSE TATTOO Previews

[mar6411]

Posted: 9/19/19 at 7:48am

Previews start tonight September 19 and opens October 15.  Previously played Williamstown.  

Interested to hear comments.

[LesWickedly]

Posted: 9/19/19 at 5:24pm

Selling one Access10 ticket for tonight. $10. Can send you the PDF of the print at home ticket, they can scan directly off your phone. Venmo preferred. 

[macnyc]

Posted: 9/19/19 at 11:38pm

I wasn’t a fan of this. It’s much too long and very tedious. Marisa Tomei did a great job but the material doesn’t hold up well. 

[UncleCharlie]

Posted: 9/20/19 at 12:04am

Not crazy about this either. Never having seen the movie or any of the previous stage productions, I went in with a clean slate. I'm a Marisa Tomei fanboy from way back and it was fun watching her chew the scenery but the play was a slog. I don't really understand why Tennessee Williams didn't just set this in Italy. The symbolism of certain elements didn't make a lot of sense to me. Not sure if those were Williams' or Cullman's choices. In any event, loved seeing Marisa but didn't love the play. Clocked in just under 2:35.

[Damiensta]

Posted: 9/20/19 at 12:06am

I was there too.

yes it was a bit long. Got out around 10:45 but it did start about 8-10 min late.

i enjoyed the set but if you seating in first row, I believe you will get sand on you. 

Marisa Tomei was very good. Specially milking comedic moments out of the script. She should do more comedy. I also enjoyed Emun Elliott. I wish play would cut first act n just be second act with them too.

they have actress sing Italian songs thru out show. And if anyone seen previous productions, I was wondering if that’s in script or added by director?

i could of done without the Kids running through stage at certain times. I saw no point to them.

 

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 9/20/19 at 12:19am

It was only a first preview so I won’t lay into it too much but I agree with the others. It was fine. It felt like a strong ensemble piece when I believe you should feel like you are watching a magnetic and dynamic Serafina who commands the production. This didn’t happen for me.
I have no history or experience with this piece so I went in cold. It felt dated, stale and a little sexist to be honest. Not a piece that translated well for today.
Tonally, it felt all over the place. Second Act with its focus on Tomei and Elliott was definitely more engaging and dynamic. They have great chemistry and she’s a marvelous comedian. I don’t think she truly channels the primal aspects of the character. It feels like she holding back.
The woman next to me mentioned this is her favorite play and she’s seen many versions. At intermission she said, “that was bad.”
I think it will settle more but overall I was “meh.”
Lindsey Mendez was sitting in the back with the director. She was in the Williamstown version.

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 9/20/19 at 12:39am

Well, this was on my list of shows I was intrigued about, but I just took it off my list. It’s a long unwieldy list anyway so some shows needed to go.. I know it was first preview and these are just a few reviews, but they’re pretty consistent. Besides, my dance card is all full on my upcoming trip and it was very doubtful I’d return before it closes.

[Sauja]

Posted: 9/20/19 at 11:20pm

If anything, I think earlier posters were too kind. This was TERRIBLE. Tonally all over the place and terribly paced, I can’t decide if I think it’s just a bad play (although a Williams fan, I’ve never seen or read this one), or if this is just a hatchet job by the production team. I don’t blame Tomei who is doing credible work against the odds.

This feels so slapped together and I’ll-conceived that I kind of can’t believe it’s a transfer. That this production happened is bad enough. But that it’s being repeated? Yikes.

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 9/20/19 at 11:39pm

This is a transfer? I wasn’t aware.

[uncageg]

Posted: 9/20/19 at 11:41pm

Miles2Go2 said: "This is a transfer? I wasn’t aware."

 

From Williamstown.

I am seeing it on Tuesday and excited.

 

[Tom-497]

Posted: 9/21/19 at 2:52pm

SPOILERS THROUGHOUT 

 

 

I saw last night's performance from a distant ACCESS10 seat (for which I am nonetheless grateful), and I also think that huge improvement during the preview period is likely. In addition, I enjoyed most of the interaction between Marisa Tomei and her two main male co-stars (playing her boyfriend, and her daughter's boyfriend).

Having said that, I would agree with some others that much of the show is currently TERRIBLE.

In an attempt to find out who was to blame for the many things I disliked, I read the play for my first time this morning. In most respects the production seems to stick close to the text, except for the deletion of two characters -- Doctor and Priest. The Doctor role is small, but the missing Priest (even when many of his lines have been given to other characters) may be a more significant loss. There is no central male 1950s Catholic authority figure for Serafina to be rebelling against anymore -- just a lot of neighbor women in an overly stylized sort of busybody chorus, wearing black and running in packs to superficially distinguish them from the lonely Serafina, who usually has on lighter (though not necessarily bright) colors.

Also, this (as I remember) totally female, singing and dancing chorus replaces the text's call for a lone male "Sicilian folk-singer" -- just one of many examples of cheesy vulgarity that bursts out of the current production, and another example of seemingly intentional minimizing of male roles. 

Another questionable directorial touch is Tomei's strange, almost voodoo style dance moves, which I at least don't remember from the text (although black magic is certainly mentioned).

A few other points:

- annoying children constantly running around is part of the text, and the director has even toned down some of their antics;

- the text does feature a fairly large role for a goat, and I just wish they had either brought on a real one or let us imagine one, totally unseen. As it is, they have a small child running around with goat horns strapped to his head, which I found to be just about the worst choice I can remember for live-animal replacement;

- the set (many pink flamingos, projections of waves on the beach, a house without walls that appears more like part of a boardwalk trail) didn't work at all for me during the daytime scenes, but it was much more effective at night, with the many candles suggesting an apt, starry night.

- a scene toward the end that Williams characterizes as comic is played in this production melodramatically, with (to my ears) absurdly inappropriate "suspenseful" and "menacing" scoring -- then within moments, everything is light and breezy again. So, this production takes an already weak scene and makes it far worse -- instead of wondering whether Serafina's new boyfriend will accidentally, drunkenly jeopardize their new relationship, a reasonable viewer might well have been wondering if the boyfriend is a psycho killer.

- Last, in another example of subtlety vs. vulgarity (although, in this case, not one that bothered me), the text ends with Serafina running off happily toward her unseen new boyfriend's call; in this production, the show ends with Serafina jumping into the boyfriend's arms, very much like (if I recall) the last scene of An Officer and a Gentleman -- except instead of Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes we get some overly obvious Italian-American pop song (Louis Prima's Buona Sera, I think).

 

 

 

[JBroadway]

Posted: 9/21/19 at 3:34pm

I saw the show last night. It was my first exposure to the text. Count me in with the group of people who thought it was "meh." I didn't hate it and I'm glad I saw it, but it certainly didn't blow me away either. 

I agree with a lot of the criticisms already mentioned. The pacing was kind of off, and the tone was all over the place. Act 2 is a lot more comical than act 1. On some level, I enjoyed it, because it was entertaining, and Tomei and Elliott are clearly having a lot of fun together. But it felt jarring to see the production suddenly become extremely silly. 

The play itself is interesting. I was intrigued by the way Williams explores female sexuality by paralleling the mother and the daughter. Structurally, the play is very unusual. And I think sometimes it works, and other times it doesn't. 

I think Tomei is giving a strong performance, but not one for the ages. Emun Elliott is very charming, but occasionally a bit too over the top. It was a shame to see so many established, talented actors wasted on nothing roles. 

Aside from the large screens (which were ugly, but easier for me to ignore due to my side-view seat), I did actually like the physical staging, and the stylistic touches. The design and the music worked well to highlight the kind of poetic undercurrent to Williams' writing style. But while I appreciated the stylistic flourishes and the general aura of the production, this text just doesn't seem to play to Cullman's strengths.

I've said it many times before, and I'll keep saying it: Roundabout has the exact same problem with all of their Broadway play revivals; they pick good (or at least interesting) material, cast excellent actors, and then they screw it up by hiring the wrong director. Not necessarily a BAD director (although, sometimes that too), but a director whose abilities don't pair well with the material. Or alternately, in the case of transferred productions like this one, they pick productions where an ill-suited director has already been hired. While some are definitely on the better end of the spectrum, I've consistently found this to be the case to a greater or lesser extent on all 10 of the Broadway play revivals I've seen from Roundabout. 

[Synecdoche2]

Posted: 9/21/19 at 5:15pm

This was basically universally hated at Williamstown. Only reason it's on Broadway is because Trip Cullman has everything fall into his lap.

[BJR]

Posted: 9/21/19 at 11:01pm

Oof. Tomei remains a talent who has not had a production worthy of her.

I won’t say more because I’m sure they’re still working, but this ain’t it.

[KJisgroovy]

Posted: 9/21/19 at 11:15pm

“Universally hates at Williamstown”

It got great reviews. Great.

[VernonGersch]

Posted: 9/21/19 at 11:35pm

Yikes - was really looking forward to seeing this but so much vitriol has me second guessing

[jayinchelsea]

Posted: 9/22/19 at 3:55pm

Hard to understand why this has transferred to Broadway. Saw it in Williamstown and was really disappointed. Acting was all over the place, and Tomei was not able to transcend the comic moments and the melodramatic ones successfully. Probably not one of Willams' best plays, but I was lucky enough to see this many years ago at City Center with Maureen Stapleton (the original Serafina) and Harry Guardino, and they were amazing. 

 

[10086sunset]

Posted: 9/24/19 at 10:53pm

Just out of the theater and found this to be pretty disappointing. 

While Tomei is fine at times, I tend to agree with BettyBoy72 regarding how she doesn't seem to channel the primal aspects of the character. I felt like I was watching her act.

The play is slow, tedious and the tone is all over the place. Perhaps the problem comes with how the text is being played. I've always seen this play as more light hearted and funny. It's sticks out like a sour thumb when compared to the other of Williams, the biggest reason being the ending. While you can't play it as a straight comedy, it also doesn't work as a full drama. The balance is tough to find and definitely hasn't been found here. 

The accents also didn't help matters. Not sure if they've been mentioned before but wow, they are rough.

The flamingos gave me flashbacks to the recent Roundabout production of Marvin's Room. Not good flashbacks either.

[uncageg]

Posted: 9/25/19 at 12:23am

Saw it this evening also.

For me, the direction was off. Even as slow as the first act felt, I was invested in the story. Had the pace been picked up, the end of Act I would have had a bit more of an impact. I also feel that the direction takes away from (Well, what I got from it) the children and the daughter (Who's accent is different). Act II picks up considerably. It is even funny at times. It was nice to see the comic side of Tomei in act II.

The performances were fine but there were times when there seemed to be dead space. And it didn't lend to the story.

The set is really nice (Although I cringed every time an adult actor exited down the wooden walkway.) I also enjoyed the music. 

I sat house left row K in the orchestra second seat in from the outside aisle. Didn't really miss anything but there is a pole onstage that obstructs a bit and you see one end and half of the back of the bench.

The entire evening ran 2 and a half hours with the intermission.

Glad I saw it. It has a really good story. If I picked up on the things I was supposed to, it is a shame they didn't dawn on me until I left and the night air perked me up. 

Was going to buy a magnet until I found out it was $15.00. I have gotten used to $10.00 but no way am I paying 15. 

Just my random thoughts!

Updated On: 9/29/19 at 12:23 AM

[bigbelterbaby]

Posted: 9/25/19 at 3:06am

I believe Anna Magnani, who won an Oscar for her performance in this, did that strange type of dancing in the movie. I am sure Tomei was inspired by Magnani as we know Tomei is very proud of her Italian heritage. Maureen Stapleton also won a Tony for this role, so while it may be outdated, it was very popular in it's time.

[Wick3]

Posted: 9/27/19 at 1:38pm

I recently saw this play without knowing anything about it (didn't even realize it was a Tennessee Williams play). The plot itself was meh but I really enjoyed Marisa Tomei's performance!  Superb acting especially the comedic moments.  

I myself didn't really connect with the play but still enjoyed Marisa's performance.

[broadway86]

Posted: 9/27/19 at 2:53pm

KJisgroovy said: "It got great reviews. Great."

I thought so too. Very surprised with this horrible feedback.

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 9/27/19 at 3:03pm

Saw it Tuesday, not knowing anything about it going in. I found it to be a good play in a scattershot production, which sadly I must blame entirely on director Trip Cullman. It felt like each scene existed in a vacuum, there was little to no consistency in tone from one scene from the next. So it made it feel like sometimes Marisa Tomei, who is putting in a great performance, was completely out of place depending on the scene. (It also made some performers who I generally love also feel out of place, without the benefit of being able to perform in a later scene to justify their talents.) I do think the actress playing Rosa is suffering from the same problem of swimming through different scenes like Tomei, but as of Tuesday I just didn't feel she was able to deliver a consistent performance throughout the night, which I feel is to miscasting or misdirection with the actress. All that said, I'm glad I saw it to see this script, but it was just a roughly uneven show from start to finish, so when each act ended, I was like, "Okay, that happened."

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 9/29/19 at 9:41am

If one is looking for a master class on how NOT to direct a play, there is most definitely one to be found at the American Airlines Theatre. Trip Cullman's direction is not only terrible, but it is flat out bizarre beyond belief. This production of The Rose Tattoo is VERY much in accordance with Roundabout's usual misguided play revivals that plague the American Airlines season after season (with a few exceptions).

Marisa Tomei is turning in a passable and fine performance, but it, like everything else in the production, is ultimately bogged down by the direction and pacing. The set design evokes absolutely no sense of a concrete setting. And what in god's name was up with the hundreds of plastic flamingos? It was almost like they had them leftover from the promo shots they did from Marvin's Room a while ago and decided to use them to the empty space at the back of the stage. 

This one is a real slog to sit through. The play itself is not very interesting to begin with IMO, and the lack of focus in the direction does the text no favors. 

[brian1973]

Posted: 9/30/19 at 5:59pm

BJR said: "Oof. Tomei remains a talent who has not had a production worthy of her.

I won’t say more because I’m sure they’re still working, but this ain’t it."

Maybe it’s karma..shes got quite a....erm, reputation..