Overview
Synopsis
In a small Sicilian-American community along the Gulf Coast, Serafina delle Rose is a fiery and passionate wife and mother. When her husband Rosario is murdered while smuggling contraband in a banana truck, Serafina shuts herself away from life and love. She ignores the town gossip--especially about Rosario’s infidelity--and lives in a stupor until her daughter Rosa declares herself in love. Frustrated and heartbroken, Serafina angrily attacks anyone who reason with her. That is, until a banana truck driver named Alvaro Mangicavallo arrives at her door. He has the body of her late husband, but the face of a clown. He awkwardly attempts to flirt and seduce--and his earnest and simple actions finally crack through Serafina’s heartbreak.
The play that Tennessee Williams called his “love-play to the world,” The Rose Tattoo is a passionate tale of superstitions, promises, and the possibility of love and passion after a broken heart. Revived on Broadway several times, The Rose Tattoo offers wit and comedy while reminding the audience to open their hearts and find hope where they least expect it.
Show Information
- Book
- Tennessee Williams
- Category
- Play
- Age Guidance
- Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
- Number of Acts
- 3
- First Produced
- 1950
- Genres
- Comedy, Drama
- Settings
- Period, Unit/Single Set
- Time & Place
- 1950s, Gulf Coast village, Sicilian-American community
- Cast Size
- large
- Dancing
- None
- Licensor
- Concord Theatricals
- Ideal For
- College/University, Community Theatre, Large Cast, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Star Vehicle Female, Mostly Female Cast, Includes Adult, Early Teen, Late Teen, Young Adult, Mature Adult, Elderly, Child Characters
Context
In the late 1940s, Tennessee Williams traveled with his friend and lover Frank Merlo to Italy. While there, he met the Italian actress Anna Magnani, and inspired by her fiery passion, he began to create the character of Serafina delle Rose. Working with Merlo, Williams crafted the personalities and language of the Gulf Coast Siclian-American community Serafina calls home. When the play was completed, he was not sure if it was worthy of production. But through the support of Merlo and famed
to read the context for The Rose Tattoo and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
Act One
At dusk in a village along the Gulf Coast, Serafina delle Rose waits for her husband Rosario to get home. Her 12-year-old daughter Rosa is catching lightning bugs around the house. The local healer, Assunta, stops by and offers powders for Serafina to give her husband, hinting that he might need control over his love impulses. Serafina laughs at the suggestion, and tells Assunta that she is pregnant--the moment she conceived, Serafina had a vision of Rosario’s tattoo on her own
to read the plot for The Rose Tattoo and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
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Lead |
Female |
Non-singer |
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Lead |
Female |
Non-singer |
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Lead |
Male |
Non-singer |
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Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
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Supporting |
Female |
Non-singer |
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Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
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Supporting |
Female |
Non-singer |
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Supporting |
Female |
Non-singer |
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Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
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Supporting |
Female |
Non-singer |
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Supporting |
Female |
Non-singer |
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Supporting |
Female |
Non-singer |
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Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
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Supporting |
Female |
Non-singer |
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Supporting |
Female |
Non-singer |
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Supporting |
Female |
Non-singer |
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Featured |
Female |
Non-singer |
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Featured |
Female |
Non-singer |
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Featured |
Female |
Non-singer |
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Featured |
Male |
Non-singer |
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Featured |
Male |
Non-singer |
Songs
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
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Videos
Quizzes
Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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Quote Analysis
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Guide Written By:
Cindi Calhoun
Theatre teacher, director, writer, and seamstress