The Rose Tattoo

The Rose Tattoo on Broadway Background

The Rose Tattoo is a four time Tony Award winning play from Tennessee Williams, a renowned member of the American Theater Hall of Fame. The Rose Tattoo premiered on Broadway in 1951 and went on to win the Tony for Best Play. Since then the show has had considerable success both on film and on Broadway. This time around, Oscar winning actress Marisa Tomei, who is known for her supporting role in the classic movie “My Cousin Vinny”, stars in this new version of The Rose Tattoo. Tomei also had a role in the Avengers and recent Spider Man movie series. In the new show, Tomei plays Serafina Delle Rose, a recovering widow and dedicated mother dealing with the next unwritten chapter of her life. This is the fourth appearance of The Rose Tattoo on Broadway which included productions in 1951, 1966 and 1995.

What’s The Rose Tattoo Like?

The show is set in the American Gulf Coast, in New Orleans during the Mid 1900’s. Serafina Delle Rose struggles to find her way forward after shocking news. Delle Rose is a mother of a teenager and a devoted wife in an assiduous young Sicilian family when she loses her dear husband, whom she thought to be both the love of her life and her life partner. To make ends meet, her husband would make drug deliveries during his banana truck delivery route, which is when he is shot and killed. With the loss of her husband and his income, Delle Rose is now stuck. With deep melancholy and still in mourning she finds work as a seamstress. As she revivies her old skills she realizes she has trouble keeping customers due to her deep depression. This makes it tough to make ends meet and support her maturing daughter, who is growing up fast. As she mourns, she pushes many friends and neighbors away, struggling to retain control of her life. She cannot come to terms with the finality of her husband’s death and reaches her lowest point. At this very time a spiteful customer tells her of another woman who her deceased husband had been cheating with, while they were married. Hearing this shocking news enables Serafina to move on from her depression and reassess her entire life. Delle Rose gets new inspiration and is able to open up her life to find a new Suitor, who rejuvenates her with love, lust and a thrilling romance.

Is The Rose Tattoo Good for Kids?

This show gets hot and heavy with a depressing theme that goes right over the heads of any children younger than seventeen years old.