It is hard to argue with the success of “Violet.” Despite a
weak script and a tiring group of songs, this
hit-the-road-and-discover-yourself musical has managed to resonate with both
audiences and critics ever since its original
Off-Broadway premiere in 1997. The 2014 Broadway revival gained four Tony Award
nominations — most notably for its lead actress, Sutton Foster. Now, Blackfriars Theatre hosts Rochester’s premiere of the
vibrant and kitschy musical, running through May 17.
In “Violet,” the year is 1964 and a woman named Violet Karl
(Kristen Mellema) boards a Greyhound bus. She’s
leaving North Carolina for Tulsa, Oklahoma, with a plan to find a miracle
working televangelist who, she believes, can heal the scar on her face. Like
bags on a bus, she is accompanied by her bittersweet memories. She was 14 years
old (a younger Violet is played by Chloe Phelps) and her amiable-yet-stern
farmer father (Ken Harrington) wasn’t careful enough with his axe. The memories
weave throughout the narrative, often mirroring Violet’s current journey to
Tulsa.
As she settles into her seat, Violet meets a ragtag group of
riders — grandmothers, salesmen, and soldiers — everyone, humming to the same
beat, trying to find themselves as they step out into the big world. Most
notably, Violet meets Flick (Lorenzo Shawn Parnell) and Monty (Jimmy Boorum), two young men in the Army on their way to Fort
Smith, Arkansas. The three passengers strike up a friendship and, when on a pit
stop in Memphis, paint the town. It’s during this stay where Violet begins to
explore who she is in a deeper and more profound way. She’s not just a gullible
good-ol’ girl, but strong and compassionate, someone who can relate to other
outsiders and — despite her own self-delusions — speaks truth.
For musical lovers, “Violet” delivers a plentiful set
of toe-tapping tunes. There’s nothing inventive here, but the basics are
covered: overlapping melodies, fun harmonies, and rousing key changes. By the
end, many of these songs blend together and stretch scenes to unnecessary
lengths, but the actors do their jobs well and keep it entertaining. Occasionally,
the sundry level of talent adds an unbalanced texture to an already
disorienting story; however, Lorenzo Shawn Parnell and the young Chloe Phelps
both deliver knock-out vocal performances. The house band, conducted by Andy
Pratt, provides a steady 1960’s beat with a fun aura. Pratt’s band remains
on-point and impressive throughout, distracting only when the occasional volume
problem overpowers dialogue and lyrics.
But missing lyrics in “Violet” often comes as a relief. Many
lines are forgettable and roll-your-eyes cheesy. “I’ll find out where this
highway takes me / You know I got to travel on / Left
my troubles all behind me / Back there when I climbed on board.” In these
moments, it’s hard not to see “Violet” as a unkind mixture of a 1990’s Disney
cartoon movie and a Lifetime Original TV special: upbeat positivity sung by
beautiful people with hard pasts — good folk destined to be let down by this
hard, unforgiving world.
The plot doesn’t help. It becomes apparent — as Violet, Flick,
and Monty’s relationship develops from budding friendship to love triangle —
that Violet never needed her face to be healed in order to self-actualize. What
Violet really needed was a boyfriend. It is this sort of “problematic woman
rescued by a man” storyline that makes the story to “Violet” feel both awkward
and dated.
The production marks the end of a 35-year career for John
Haldoupis at Blackfriars
Theatre. With ties to the original Off-Broadway production, “Violet” became
something of a passion project for Haldoupis. The
concept, itself, makes a fitting exit: people moving on, down the road,
discovering their next chapter. As both director and artistic director of this
production, Haldoupis built an impressive set that
carries with it the significance of his final bow. It’s impressive. The
background features a barn wall, or wooden fence, that also acts as a backdrop
screen or giant painting. Seamlessly, the set transforms from bus stop to
revival church to dive bar. It’s the type of ingenuity — and careful attention to
detail — that makes Haldoupis’s productions so fun to
watch.
The set is worth the price of admission alone; however, if
you’re looking for a more compelling and less dated story, “Violet” may be a little
tough to sit through.
This article appears in May 6-12, 2015.
