I fell in love with the 1997 Off-Broadway musical
Violet when I saw
Theater Latte Da's gorgeous production in the Guthrie's Dowling Studio in 2010, just before I started this blog. Something about this story of a young woman who goes on a journey in search of healing and a new life, only to find it in herself, really resonated with me, and still does. And Jeanine Tesori's score that combines influences from Appalachia, Memphis, country, and gospel has become one of my favorites. Coincidentally,
2010 is also the year I saw my first Ten Thousand Things show, after which I declared "I'm hooked;" I don't think I've missed one of their shows since. Not only is their mission the best one I can think of (to bring theater to people who don't otherwise have access to it), but their shows are always clear and unencumbered, allowing the true heart of the piece to shine through. Now, finally, these two favorites that I discovered 15 years ago have come together in a sparsely beautiful and rawly emotional production of
Violet that is sure to create new fans of this musical (which I believe has only had
one other local professional production since Latte Da in 2010, although it did eventually make it to
Broadway in 2014, starring Sutton Foster and Joshau Henry). A talented cast of eight (plus one musician) takes us on this epic emotional journey in just about 100 minutes, in a fully lit room with minimal sets and props, using just the power of their voices and talents plus our collective imagination.
This bus will continue to travel on through June 1 at various locations, primarily at Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church (near the Walker, with a large free parking lot).
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| on the bus (photo by Tom Wallace) |
Based on
a short story,
Violet is about a young woman on a journey across the South in 1964, from her home in the mountains of North Carolina to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she hopes that a TV preacher can heal the scar across her face that she received in a childhood accident (the details of which are heart-wrenching). Growing up with this disfiguring facial scar has made Violet tough and independent, and she's not afraid to look people in the eye and tell them what she thinks, even if they're unable to return her gaze. She befriends several people on the long bus trip, including a couple of soldiers named Monty and Flick, the latter of whom is Black, giving him insight into Violet's experience of being judged by her face, and vice versa. While journeying to what she hopes is a new beginning, she remembers her past journeys, and we see flashbacks of the young Violet. The two realities merge when Violet meets the preacher, doesn't find what she hoped she would, and is forced to face her past on her own. Like Dorothy in
The Wizard of Oz, she has to go an epic journey to learn that she had the power all along to heal herself.*
Artistry's Artistic Director Kelli Foster Warder makes her TTT debut directing this piece, and in her hands it's playful and fluid (she's also a choreographer) as she finds moments of humor as well as deep emotion. And she has perfectly cast the show, many of them new to TTT but not to #TCTheater. Annika Isbell is everything you want in Violet, and by the end of the show I almost believed she
was Violet, with absolutely no artifice or false notes in her performance, even from a few feet away. Violet's soul, her steadfast hope and deep pain, shines through Annika's face, and she beautifully and emotionally sings this fantastic score. Because this is a small cast, the other seven actors all play multiple roles, making the world feel bigger. Ryan London Levin is every bit the charming rogue as Monty; despite some of the ugly things he says you can't help but love him. I saw an understudy in the role of Flick, and although I was disappointed not to see
Mitchell Douglas, Gabe Woodard did a wonderful job and brought a lot of heart and soul to the role. Other highlights include Sophina Saggau as young Violet, often on stage and in conversation with the current Violet, literally and figuratively holding up a mirror; Charlie Clark as Violet's tough love father, seen in flashbacks that will rip your heart out; Tom Reed with a rousing performance as the preacher that made me want to raise my hands; Kate Beahen as the "old lady" on the bus and a lady of the night in Memphis; and Lynnea as a singer both in the nightclub and the gospel choir.
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| raise me up! (photo by Tom Wallace) |
Music director Sanford Moore provides all of the accompaniment on keyboard, playing live and also utilizing recorded tracks of guitar, percussion, and keyboard. And while I understand this was probably only the only way to accomplish all of the different styles of music with one person and portable equipment, I did miss hearing the real instruments that are so key to the music of the American South. But that just allows more focus to be on the singers, and they sound amazing singing without microphones, literally a few feet in front of (or behind) you. The harmonies in this score are particularly soul-stirring.
Sarah Bahr's sparse but effective set is comprised mostly of four wooden benches and a few stools that are deftly reconfigured to form the bus, a diner, a bedroom, a church, and more. Vintage suitcases and army duffels give a sense of time and place, as do the versatile costumes (designed by Samantha Fromm Haddow) - simple dresses or suits that transform from one character to another with the addition of a jacket or accessory (glasses and hats also help differentiate characters).
What I love most about Violet is that it's such a universal story. Everyone has a scar or a wound from their past that they need to heal (spoiler alert: the wound that was holding Violet back was not on her face). A repeated theme in the music is "look at me," which is what Violet most wants (and what everyone wants) - someone to look at her, see the real her, and love her for it. This is such a rich piece, dealing with issues of race, gender, celebrity worship, focus on appearance, forgiveness, faith, and family.* If anything the story has only gotten more relevant, as young girls today are constantly told on social media that there's something wrong with them that only the right makeup, or hair product, or fad diet, or outfit can fix. TV preachers have been replaced by influencers and companies trying to sell us something to heal the wounds we carry. But as Violet learns on her journey, the healing needs to come from inside of us.
One of my favorite theater companies doing one of my favorite musicals, in their trademark stripped-down straight-to-the-heart style? A long time coming and worth the wait.
