The Quiet Immensity of Renaissance Theaterworks’ ‘Rose’

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There’s a cozy feel about the stage as Linda Reiter begins to inhabit the space. There’s a silent strength about her as the presence of Rose Kennedy filters-in around the edges of the script in Renaissance Theaterworks’ staging of Rose. Director Elizabeth Margolius has worked with Reiter to finesse an intricate portrayal of a woman with an historical presence which is far larger than the general public’s overall knowledge of her. The intimacy of the venue blends with the immensity of history in Scenic Designer Lauren Nichols’ use of a grand surrounding darkness and larger-than life projections of the Kennedy family in the background.

The fiercely traditional strength of the Kennedy matriarch remains a silently stunning mystery as Reiter draws the gravity of a very strong personality to the stage. The play is set late in Rose’s Hyannis Port living room the summer of 1969. There has been tragedy in the family due to the Ted Kennedy car crash that resulted in the death of a young campaign worker just the week before. She’s concerned about Ted. She’s talking to the one who is to write her biography. It’s a tense moment filled with a very natural sense of reflection and recollection. Reiter rests within Rose as drawn to the stage by a script that was inspired by actual audio of Rose looking back on her life at a very crucial point in history.

There’s an authenticity to the drama that resonates quite well through the comfortably small confines of Renaissance’s new home on the south end of Downtown. Reiter asserts the inner strength of Rose Kennedy without unnecessary amplification in an admirably nuanced portrayal of one of the most prominent supporting figures in the early 20th century.

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Renaissance Theaterworks’ presentation of Rose runs through June 5 at 255 S. Water St. For tickets, visit r-t-w.com or call 414-273-0800.