Tennessee Williams classic opens next week
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - The Cumberland Theatre will continue their 36th Season with the classic dramady The Rose Tattoo by Tennessee Williams. The show will run March 14th – 30th for nine performances.
Written in 1951, the play won four Tony Awards including Best Play and was adapted into a feature film starring Burt Lancaster and Anna Magnani, who won the Oscar for her portrayal of Serafina Delle Rose. The play has been revived on Broadway several times, most recently in 2019 which featured Marisa Tomei in the role of Serafina.
The play that 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. 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.
CT’s upcoming rendition features both local and visiting actors and marks the return of guest director Michael Hood, who directed the CT production of Steven Martin’s Meteor Shower in 2019.
Playing the roles of Serafina Delle Rose and Alvaro Mangicavallo will be Kimberli Rowley and Seth Thompson. Both were recently seen in The Play That Goes Wrong, A Few Good Men and The Wisdom of Eve.
Playing the role of Serafina’s daughter Rosa Delle Rose will be local actress Arianna Fiorentino. Fiorentino is a student at Mountain Ridge High School and was last seen on the CT stage in Elf the Musical. Playing Jack – the sailor Rosa falls in love with – will be local actor Brian Records, who was appeared last season in A Few Good Men and Escape to Margaritaville.
The supporting cast also includes Reiner Prochaska as Father DeLeo and newcomer Donna Schilke as Assunta. The large supporting cast also includes local actors Michaela Hale, Katie Zimmerman, Lura Thompson, and Savannah Tagliaferro. Visiting actors include Erik Alexis, Emily Beets, Emily Bonario, Nick Harvill and Allana Matheis. Playing the children will be Mackenzie Dunaway, Lincoln Vanmeter and Emmet Berhow.
The design team for the show is comprised of Rhett Wolford (set design), Cody Gilliam (costume design), Xander Mulder (lighting design) and Anthony Tagliaferro (props design). The run crew consists of Britt Kolek (stage manager), Katie Zimmerman (assistant stage manager) and Brian Records (fight captain).
A preview performance will be held Thursday, March 14th at 8:00 pm. Following the preview, performances are March 15th – 30th with Friday and Saturday performances at 8:00 pm and Sundays at 2:00 pm. There will be no performance on Sunday, March 31st. An opening reception is included in the ticket price for Friday, March 15th. A dinner theatre package in partnership with Ristorante Ottaviani is being offered, which will include dinner at the restaurant or tasting room before the Friday and Saturday performances. More information on ratings, group sale, etc. can be found on cumberlandtheatre.com where single tickets are available for purchase as well as 2024 Season Passes.