The Rose Tattoo

While this production has many fine individual moments, overall it fails to harness the full theatrical potential of this rarely produced Tennessee Williams play. The stage is so full with the real-world details of the Gulf Coast home of Serafina — a sewing machine, sofa, chair, partial walls, and so on — that there is literally no room for the moments of ethereal magic that Williams' otherwise heavy-handed script constantly calls for. As Serafina, actress Maggie DeVera brings a vibrant, soulful presence to her role, and Serafina's constant heartache becomes touching in her hands. Jessica Coghill and Duncan Phillips are also sweetly affecting as Serafina's daughter Rosa and Rosa's sincere suitor. But all the heart wrenching anguish would go a lot further with a lighter touch — a touch that would get Williams' densely poetic words off the ground and flying around the stage. — Molly Rhodes