One More Productions drives directly into high gear with its first musical of the season, the acclaimed Violet, and theatergoers are in for the “bus ride” of their lives at Garden Grove’s newly renovated Gem Theatre.
One More Productions drives directly into high gear with its first musical of the season, the acclaimed Violet, and theatergoers are in for the “bus ride” of their lives at Garden Grove’s newly renovated Gem Theatre.
Based on the short story, “The Ugliest Pilgrim” by Doris Betts, with book and lyrics by Brian Crawley, and music by gifted composer Jeanine Tesori, Violet, takes place smack dab in the middle of the ‘60s Civil Rights era andis about a poor Southern girl from Spruce Pine, North Carolina who has a highly visible facial scar and a rather dark story to tell.
You see, when she was a girl (Sophia Scarsi) of 13, her father’s axe fell apart and the head of the axe cut through her face – all the way from her nose through her lip. Because the disfigurement has left her believing that she is devastatingly ugly, she is now on a quest for a miraculous physical and spiritual healing.
Boarding a Greyhound headed for Tulsa, she feels certain that if she stands before a famous TV faith-healing preacher (Daniel Berlin), she will be completely transformed from the “ugly duckling” she sees herself as into someone beautiful. Along the way to Oklahoma, 25-year-old Violet (Nicole Cassesso) meets two men in uniform, a sturdy black man known as Flick (Skylar Johnson), and his soldier buddy, a young buck, Monty (Danny Diaz).
During her trip through the deep south, Violet’s relationships with both men evolve and transform as choices are made and lessons are learned. There is a common thread running through Violet that is meant to strike a chord – the judgment and discrimination that both a black man and a scarred woman have to endure by the narrow mindedness of society, and the stinging reminder of man’s unjustified intolerance – regardless of skin color or anything less than perfection.
The “bus” is ingeniously positioned as the bus driver (Berlin) and passengers take their places sitting on their suitcases, and under the brilliant direction of Damien Lorton, the entire cast performances are truthful and honest.
Violet is a story with a hypnotic cast of characters who soon realize that true healing miracles are love and acceptance of oneself and of others. The demanding role of Violet is a role of a lifetime and an ideal vehicle for Cassesso who demonstrates that her stellar performance is going to be very difficult to top. Sophia Scarsi is perfectly cast as the younger Violet. Some other outstanding performances are: Danny Diaz as Monty, Skylar Johnson as Flick, Alex Bodero as Violet’s Father, Daniel Berlin as the driver, Rufus, and especially as the Preacher, and Chris Harper as Leroy, the Waiter, Mechanic, Bus Driver 3, and Earl.
Violet’srousing and stirring musical score is filled with a variety of richly sung numbers ranging from rock ‘n roll, to gospel, to bluegrass, and some of the highlights are “Surprised” and “On My Way” featuring Cassesso and the cast, Johnson’s “Let it Sing,” “Raise Me Up” featuring Lulu (Kwanza Higgins), and the ensemble’s “Bring me to Light.”
Under Lorton’s baton, the impressive five-piece band comes off sounding like
a full orchestra featuring Toni Helms on piano/keyboard, Carlos Melgar on guitar, Camilo Barahona on violin/mandolin, Nathan Atwater on bass, and Jeff Segal on drums/percussion.
Violet
The Gem Theatre
12852 Main St., Garden Grove
Box office: 714-741-9550, ext 221
Runs through May 4
