Music by Jeanine Tesori
Lyrics and Book by Brian Crawley
Based on "The Ugliest Pilgrim" by Doris Betts
Violet is the story of a young woman, disfigured from a childhood incident, on a cross country bus trip from North Carolina to Oklahoma in hopes of being healed by a televangelist.
I would have preferred a straight play version of this story over a musical. The words are simple in what seems to be an attempt at narrative and the melodies, forgetful. That being said, the actors did their best to make this show as interesting as possible, though no amount of talent could make me sit through another production of this show. (FYI: This production does not include an intermission so; go to the bathroom before the show begins.)
Holli Trisler as Violet. Violet is an insipid character, with very little likability partially due to her constant sarcasm and bouts of anger. I hesitate to gauge this actress’s abilities based on this production. The character has no loyalty until the very end of the show and even that falls flat. This seems to be the problem with the book itself. All characters have issues, but something about a lead character has to connect with the audience. Even if in Violet’s own mind she believes all she can be summed up by is her physical disfigurement, why should I care? Too much of this story points inward which I found alienating.
Brian Zealand as Monty. Monty is the mistake many of us have made at one time or another. Brian is incredibly charming and easily took me back to some of my own bad decisions. The character’s goofy, all American boy charisma seemed to fit well for this actor. He is a magical creature of sorts, hard to keep your eyes away from. I was happy to finally see Brian in a production in which his costars were working at his same pace. It was much more rewarding to watch his talent with others who were equally directed.
Caiti Fallon as Young Violet. I tend to shy away from commenting on the performances from young actors, however Caiti has a strong voice and did a great job of bringing a tenacity to the younger version of the main character. I am very much looking forward to this actress in her future roles.
Sean Powell as Violet’s father. Sean is a strong performer and effortlessly created the most believable character on the stage. The strained relationship with his daughter was palpable and honest. Bravo Sean.
The ensemble worked tirelessly for the audience’s approval. Their harmonies were flawless and tight. They transitioned from character to character seamlessly. A big shout out goes to Jade L. Jones for her performance in “Raise Me Up.” While the song was just as forced as the others, at least this one was entertaining and ya girl TURNED IT OUT!
This production showed vast improvements to the work Garden Theatre has done since previous productions and my hope is that through the next season we will continue to see refinements. While I am not a fan of Violet, I really appreciated the hard work and energy this team put in to this production.
Thank you to the staff and volunteers of the Garden Theatre for your friendly demeanor and assistance.
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