Inside the Broadway Premiere of The Rose Tattoo, the Tennessee Williams Revival

Everything was coming up roses last night at the opening night of The Rose Tattoo, the Tennessee Williams revival. Directed by Tripp Cullman and starring Marisa Tomei as the fiery Serafina Delle Rose, the reprise of the playwright’s lesser-known 1951 play tells the story of an Italian-American widow in Mississippi who has withdrawn from the world following her husband’s death and expects her daughter (played by Ella Rubin) to do the same. Afterward, showgoers like Isabelle Huppert, Andy Karl, and Kate Walsh headed to the after-party, where they got a little taste of Italy in the middle of Times Square.

While writing the play, Williams was falling in love for the first time with a man named Frank Merlo, to whom he would eventually dedicate the production. A trip to meet Merlo’s family in Sicily sparked the idea for The Rose Tattoo, and he used the play to make a statement about sexual liberation and equal rights.

“It’s as modern as anything else I’ve ever done and still so fresh,” Tomei said. “It encompasses everything: deep grief and betrayal as well as the joy and ecstasy of falling in love.” The actress looked resplendent in a sheer tulle Valentino dress, which, in the spirit of revivals, made its second debut last night. “I’ve only worn it on two separate occasions, and this is the second,” she explained, as one who would not shy away from a re-wear.

Rubin, who at 18 is making her Broadway debut, seemed to be channeling an Italian screen siren in a ruffled little black dress by V. Chapman and spangly Stuart Weitzman heels. “It’s wild to be onstage with such a legend every night—it really feels like a master class in acting,” she said. “Marisa has been really maternal and absolutely lovely with me as I step into this whole new world.” No doubt audiences will also feel the love.