The Rose Tattoo

The Rose Tattoo

Roundabout Theatre Company

American Airlines Theatre

September 21, 2019

Photo courtesy of
Roundabout Theatre Company

Marisa Tomei is passionate and tempestuous in Roundabout Theatre Company’s production of The Rose Tattoo.  Director Trip Cullman finds the rhythms and longings in Tennessee Williams’ writing.  He builds the action of the play to the stunning realization for the main character as she releases the past and opens her heart.  The original music by Fitz Patton and Jason Michael Webb sets the perfect tone throughout the play.  The composition and vocals allow time to  process and absorb the events of the story, as they connect the poignant moments.

It is1950 in a small Gulf Coast town.  Serafina (played by Marisa Tomei) is a Sicilian woman, passionately in love with her husband.  Together they have one daughter, Rose (played by Ella Rubin).  Serafina wakes from a dream one night and envisions her husband’s rose tattoo on her breast.  At that moment she knows she has conceived a son.  When her husband does not return from work, the women of the town come to tell her he has been killed.  The shock causes her to lose the baby.  Three years pass.  Seraphina keeps her husband’s ashes in an urn on a shelf, and holds on tight to her daughter’s innocence.  She prays to the Blessed Mother for help and send a sign of how to handle her daughter’s growing up.  Alvaro Mangiacavallo (played by Emun Elliott), a truck driver passing through, winds up at her door.  He has the body of her husband and the face of a clown.  Is this the sign Serafina was praying for?  What will it take for her to open her heart again?

Marisa Tomei as Searfina
Photo courtesy of Roundabout Theatre Company

Emun Elliott and Marisa Tomei have a powerful chemistry.  They find the humorous moments in Tennessee Williams writing, then dive deeply into the fire.  The second act is rich in emotion, discovery, pain, and joy.  Ella Rubin also shares a beautiful chemistry with her love interest, played by Burke Swanson.  She is bold and forthcoming, while he is reserved and respectful.  This plays out in wonderfully tender and sincere moments.

The entire ensemble works magnificently together to create a close-knit community.  The set design by Mark Wendland and lighting design by Ben Stanton evoke a warm, open, and run-down beach front home, complete with a stage covered in a foot of sand.

The Rose Tattoo is playing at the American Airline Theatre through December 8.  This production brings the poetry and passion of this Tennessee Williams work beautifully to life on a large scale.  The performances are magnificent!

Domenick Danza

Heisenberg

Heisenberg

Manhattan Theatre Club

Samuel J. Friedman Theatre

September 24, 2016

Photo courtesy of Manhattan Theatre Club

Mary-Louise Parker is astonishing in Heisenberg, presently in previews at Manhattan Theatre Club.  She creates a character that is witty, needy, and neurotic.  Her chemistry with costar Denis Arndt is magnetic.  Together they captivate the audience in this intimate, two character play by Simon Stephens.

Georgia Burns (played by Mary-Louise Parker) kisses the back of the neck of a total a stranger, Alex Priest (played by Denis Arndt).  She then proceeds to weave a tale of lies.  A few days later, she seeks him out in his butcher shop to tell him the truth about herself.  Alex gradually opens up to her.  She then reveals her true motivations.  What occurs next surprises the both of them.

Denis Arndt & Mary-Louise Parker
Photo courtesy of Manhattan Theatre Club

To create an intimate setting at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, director Mark Brokaw and scenic designer Mark Wendland seats the two hundred or so audience members from the balcony on stage.  The playing area is forced to the narrow downstage section.  With only two tables and two chairs to move around to represent various locations, your focus goes directly to the connection between the two characters.  The push and pull between then plays out for ninety minutes and comes to a calm and gratifying fulfillment for both of their needs.

Heisenberg is a unique and tender script.  The characters are quirky and real.  The production is minimal and perfectly conceived.  It opens on October 13, and runs through December 4.

Domenick Danza

The Layover

The Layover

Second Stage Theatre

Tony Kiser Theatre

August 21, 2016

Photo courtesy of Second Stage Theatre

The Layover is a thought provoking play presently running at Second Stage Theatre.  Director Tripp Cullman focuses the actors on creating strong, realistic relationships that ring true and evoke empathy.  Leslye Headland's script is well structured, full of unexpected turns, and driven by clear, crisp dialogue. 

Shellie (played by Annie Parisse) and Dex (played by Adam Rothenberg) meet on a flight from Chicago to New York.  When the flight is cancelled and passengers are put up in the airport Marriott, they have a one night stand before going back to their normal lives.  They are both unable to get the other one out of their thoughts.  Finally, one of them hires a private investigator to track the other one down, and finds that everything that was said was a lie.

Adam Rothenberg & Annie Parisse
Photo courtesy of Second Stage Theatre

The scenic design, by Mark Wendland, stylistically divides the expansive space of the Tony Kiser Theatre to allow concentrated focus during the more intimate scenes.  He also splits the space so that scenes in separate locations can be delivered simultaneously.  Mr. Cullman effectively stages these parallel scenes so the characters can stare at each other across time and distance.  This heightens the theme of how certain experiences stay alive in our minds for extended periods of time.  This premise is explored through the point of view of the two main characters and Shellie’s father (played by John Procaccino).  The theme is strong, relatable, and prolifically expressed.  It is further enhanced through lighting design by Japhy Weideman and video design by Jeff Sugg.

Amelia Workman, Quincy Dunn-Baker,
Arica Himmel, & John Procaccino
Photo courtesy of Second Stage Theatre

The chemistry between Annie Parisse and Adam Rothenberg is palpable and visceral.  Both actors hook you in scene one, and skillfully transition your attention as the deeper layers of their characters are revealed.  There are also strong performance from John Procaccino, Amelia Workman, Quincy Dunn-Baker, and Arica Himmel.

The Layover is running at Second Stage Theatre through September.  The ending has some mystery and provides discussion of the characters’ true motivations and sense of reality.  See it with a friend and prepare for an in depth conversation afterwards.

Domenick Danza