The Rose Tattoo

See it if you've never seen/read TRT. I'm a Wms fan. Disappting director. Huge tone swings. Too broad/too dark. Awk staging. Ugly set.. Still fun.

Don't see it if Too many chars. Act II is better. Dated material. Accents annoy. Projections distract. Awful flamingos. Tomei works hard; mostly succeeds.

See it if Very well acted. Marisa T is very good in her role with great staging. Not the best Rose Tattoo I have seen but entertaining.ifulikewilliams

Don't see it if Long play. If you like a traditional Rose Tatto, this one is different than past productions. Accents vary from the actors- forced.

See it if Hammy rom-com featuring a hysterical widow pursued by a clowning Sicilian truck driver. Some good physical comedy. Polished production.

Don't see it if Initial seriousness doesn’t mix well with later silliness. A weird hybrid that doesn’t quite work. Stereotyped Italians. Long.

See it if you want to enjoy Tomei in a good role; you like the characters from real life that Williams presents; you want to savor a fresh version.

Don't see it if hearing everything is important to you: multiple voices, projection away from audience, accented English, Italian dialogue and songs.

See it if After latching on to her two tragedies, a dressmaker is comfy in her despair, until desire unleashes her broad comedy funnybone.Experimental

Don't see it if Lesser Tennessee matching a lesser odd mix of acting,set,music,cliche,wardrobe,accents,tonal shifts, which all test the limits of patience.

Also Like eating just the crusts of a really good pizza,that's left behind.Pink bird alert."eat a horse"... Read more Read less

See it if you like Tomei who pours herself into the role; you like everything Tennessee Williams; better 2nd act with lighter fare and physical comedy

Don't see it if looking for consistency in acting & flow; 1st act very slow; poor direction & conceptualization of story; 2nd act is better, if you last.

Also The set is built up too high for this theater. I was in the first row and sat on a booster seat and a coat in order to barely see the actors on the stage - never did get to see the legs of the flamingos in the back.

The play does have a lot to say, but it is not told in a way that makes you care or
gives enough depth to the story.... Read more Read less

See it if You are interested in seeing a Tennessee Williams piece that is different than anything I have seen by him

Don't see it if You are expecting the edge of your seat drama that you usually get from Williams

Also I really like Tennessee Williams a lot. I don’t regret seeing this because it’s interesting to compare it to his dramatic plays. If you are a fan of Williams you know what I mean when I talk about that gritty edge he has to his writing. You can definitely feel tiny parts of that but this never takes you to the same place that has great works take us to. The first 12 minutes are excruciating. I’m not giving anything away because it tells you in the program that it’s about a woman who has trouble getting over the death of her husband. I’m not sure why we needed to see what her life was like before he died. The second act is like a completely different play and you will either find it adorable or think it’s silly and over the top.... Read more Read less

See it if You are a Tennessee Williams fan and like Marisa Tomei in anything. A story of a lonely widow and her daughter trying to lead a moral life.

Don't see it if You expect sparks to fly as in the original movie. The first act is very slow and painful. Stay for the second act, it is worth it.

Also The added women’s chorus adds to the Sicilian feel of the setting.

See it if you want to witness a terrific performance from Marisa Tomei and beautiful staging. Slow burn, but the main characters are interesting.

Don't see it if you're looking for something fresh. It is a well done production, but the play comes across dated.

See it if Terrific acting by a wonderful cast led by Tomei. Surprisingly sweet for a Williams play. Delightful to watch.

Don't see it if The worst set I have ever seen in a show. It was so bad that it was distracting, and gave the production the feel of an acting class scene.

See it if a Williams fan & interested in seeing a production that emphasizes the comedic aspects..

Don't see it if ..at the expense of the poignant ones in a clumsily staged (but with good projections & lighting) production with far too much going on

Also Both Tomei & Elliot are fine & have great chemistry. The quieter scenes work best when there are no children unnecessarily running back & forth. When exiting the stage, the actors need to duck due to the odd set design.... Read more Read less

See it if you are a Tennessee Williams or Marisa Tomei fan. Not one of TW's best plays but still worth seeing. Marisa Tomei is great to watch.

Don't see it if you like characters you can empathize with. Under this direction most of the characters seemed two-dimensional and the humor slapstick.

See it if You want to see Tennessee Williams’ plays. Acting good.

Don't see it if You dislike overacting and much screaming. Staging a bit confusing as to inside/outside house. Directing should have more serious scenes.

See it if want to see Marisa Tomei give a stellar performance. She is charming and really carries the show. Beautifully directed. Gorgeous set.

Don't see it if show is long & the pacing is typical of Williams, which is a little leisurely for today's audience, but direction & acting kept me riveted.

See it if How a widowed woman barely gets her groove back, but not really. Beautiful set and staging with beautiful singing in between scenes.

Don't see it if Fake accents make it hard to understand. 2.5 hrs feels too long: first half is very slow, some left at intermission. Second half livens up.

Also Diversity: 2 Black women in a little scene. Mostly women in the cast.
Ticket from HipTix for $30. Seat in corner of rear mezzanine.... Read more Read less

See it if This is an enjoyable time in the theater,but it is not one of Williams' better plays. The performances by all make the play a fun watch.

Don't see it if You are expecting a top shelf Williams' drama.The book and characters don't measure up to those in his classic plays.

See it if You like Tennessee Williams. Or Marisa Tomei. Or both!

Don't see it if You'll be offended by a lot of ethnic slurs for Italians.

See it if you're interested in a dramedy-style take on a Tennessee Williams classic; you want to see Marisa Tomei in a scenery chewing role

Don't see it if you're uncomfortable with thick accents and broad comedy; you expect tonal consistency; you want age appropriate casting

Also This is a weird little show that floated between telenovela, high drama, and broad physical comedy. The tonal shifts were jarring at time, and the accents were thick and uneven. But once I decided I wasn't going to nitpick some of the directorial and acting choices, I settled back and had a really good time. I found Act Two far more interesting and entertaining than Act One. And I really like the staging. Definitely worth it if you can get a discounted ticket.... Read more Read less

See it if you really like Tomei or Williams. This is a gorgeously-staged, unexceptional production. Sturdy but not fresh or interesting.

Don't see it if you want to avoid tired tropes and dubious accents. Lots of the language is unsurprisingly beautiful, but the plot is less so.

See it if you want to see a masterful performance by Marisa Tomei! The set is absolutely stunning. This may be the only uplifting Williams play!

Don't see it if you are uninterested in a strange and often slow play about a woman rediscovering her sexuality. The cast is unnecessarily large.

See it if You think Tennessee Williams should be done as a Carol Burnett skit. I never associated TW as broad comedy. Marissa Tomei was funny, sadly.

Don't see it if You like Tennessee Williams. He’s NOT A comedy writer. This was so misguided, I can’t believe this is taking up Broadway space.

See it if you want to see a great show with great acting. Can't say enough about Marisa Tomei - she was excellent

Don't see it if No reason not to see it

See it if Tomei and Elliott have remarkable comedic chemistry in a rollicking second act

Don't see it if Act I is a hearty mess of mediocre Williams that must be survived to get to the richness of Act II

See it if you love old-fashioned super roles for actresses.

Don't see it if you are a plot person, not a theme person.

Also while the young lovers are painfully underwhelming, Tomei is dynamic and luminous. Her performance keeps the evening clipping along and never loses touch with the audience.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to see all of William's plays. You want to see Marissa Tomei reprise an older more accented, more libidinous Mona Lisa Vito.

Don't see it if It starts as a melodrama ends as a rom-com, it's a bit of a mess; equal blame goes to the director and the playwright.

Also Whose fault is it anyway? While often entertaining, and often for the wrong reasons, this production doesn't really work. It's got projected sea scapes, a Greek chorus of singing Sicilian women, a house with no walls that people often walk thru and a myriad of pink plastic flamingos. Why? The humor is played very much like a sit-com with even a game of incongruous charades. Tennessee Williams won a Tony for best play for this one, his only Tony and I can't but think Anna Magnani in the leading role had much to to with this.
Marissa Tomei is very charming as Serafina but she doesn't have the heft or earthiness of a hot-blooded Sicilian peasant woman. Whatever sensitivity Williams put into the play is buried under the accents, yelling and broad comedy of the second act. It's a creaky vehicle to begin with and this production in it's effort to make it entertaining turns it into something else.... Read more Read less