SEE or SKIP: Violet
SEE because:
Sutton Foster is as lovable and emotive a musical actress as you’ll find on any stage anywhere. Naysayers can grouse that her toothy smile and fountain of youthfulness make her seem relentlessly chipper and lightweight. The rest of us know that when she uses those natural elements of her appeal in darker contexts, the juxtaposition is powerful, believable and often touching.
The book and lyrics (by Brian Crawley) and music (by Jeanine Tesori) are intelligently and sensitively rendered
Early in act one, the poker number, “Luck of the Draw”, in which young Violet learns the game from her dad while, simultaneously, present-day Violet settles in for some rounds with her new-found companions, is flat-out brilliant. Superbly staged, too.
Violet’s new friends, Monty and Flick, are perfectly cast (Colin Donnell and Joshua Henry, respectively).
SKIP because:
There’s just something forced and rushed about the whole three-way triangle that ensues here, as if crucial scenes are missing. I don’t recall whether - in the original, two-act version off-Broadway - Violet and Flick had more interaction together – but here we’re supposed to be moved by their hesitant romance. Instead, all I could think was, “well, I guess she’s with him instead of the other guy. Whatever.”
Violet’s cross-country quest is, truthfully, hard to believe. Here’s a girl whose terrible accident and resultant interactions with the outside world have made her cynical, self-aware, pragmatic and whip-smart. And yet she’s convinced a TV preacher can heal her scar?
Even though this isn’t an electrified rock store or over-amplified Disney spectacle, at times the onstage orchestra competes with the singers (well, not Sutton), making the lyrics hard to understand.
I’m not a fan of gospel music, so I bristle at every obligatory, rousing, second-act gospel number in musicals (“Guys and Dolls” excepted). Now, “Violet” is, admittedly, one musical where the gospel context actually fits. And yet the musical number still feels like filler.
“Violet” runs 1 hour and 45 minutes without intermission. Either they need to cut a little more or put a short intermission back. A musical – even a simply staged and intimate one such as this – is a lot to take in, and 85 to 90 minutes tends to be the point at which we need a break. I was watch-glancing just when I should have been riveted by Violet’s meeting with the TV preacher.
FINAL CALL: SEE because:
The first third is well-nigh perfect example of using musical theater to introduce characters and tell a story. And even when the narrative becomes patchy and far-fetched, there’s Sutton Foster.
