Show Synopsis:
A waitress named Rosabella finds a secret admirer note to her written in broken English and decides to correspond with the man via mail. The man is an older Italian man named Tony, and after he and Rosabella correspond for a few months, he asks the young and handsome Joe to give him a picture he can send to Rosabella, claiming it is Tony. Rosabella goes to Napa to visit Tony and realizes that she has been deceived, but after Tony gets badly injured, he pleads for Rosabella to marry him in case he does not live. Despite their marriage, Rosabella and Joe begin to develop feelings for each other. Tony hires Rosabella?s friend Cleo so that Rosabella can have a friend in Napa, and Tony?s sister Marie disapproves of the age difference between Tony and Rosabella. Rosabella prepares to leave Napa because she is pregnant, and Tony is not the father, and Joe prepares to leave as well. Tony believes they are leaving together and goes to the bus station to kill him but finds Rosabella there alone. Tony convinces Rosabella to go back home with him, where they will raise the baby together.	

Character:
Tony Esposito, a good-natured older Italian man with a heart full of hope; tries to treat those around him well; slightly insecure.
Rosabella, a lost young woman who dreams of life and love outside of humdrum San Francisco; likes being a working woman.

Song Context:
Rosabella tells Tony that she is frustrated at being treated like a child in her marriage, although she truly loves him.	

Fun Facts:
1) This musical was based on the playThey Knew What They Wanted by Sidney Howard. 
2) Jo Sullivan originated the role of Rosabella on Broadway and was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance. 
3) The librettist Frank Loesser aimed to bring the humanity of these characters out in the writing and composition, because he saw believed that anyone in the audience might very well be in the same position as the characters are in the show.