Violet Previews- Page 2

[jbroadway4]

Posted: 3/28/14 at 11:42pm

I think this year is between Jessie Mueller,Idina Menzel, and Sutton Foster. I saw "Bridges" and I didn't think Kelli was all that great.

[After Eight]

Posted: 3/28/14 at 11:46pm

"My friend I saw it with was bored."

I'm afraid I have to echo that sentiment.

For whatever reason, it seemed tauter, more poignant, and more compelling at City Center.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 3/29/14 at 1:09am

I saw "Bridges" and I didn't think Kelli was all that great.

I don't understand this sentence.

[avyrocks]

Posted: 3/29/14 at 1:10am

^ That

[mjohnson2]

Posted: 3/29/14 at 4:07am

For some reason, I REALLY like that set.

[Simon Damon]

Posted: 3/29/14 at 4:32am

Too bad I am going in Dec all well

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 3/29/14 at 8:15am

"I think this year is between Jessie Mueller,Idina Menzel, and Sutton Foster. I saw "Bridges" and I didn't think Kelli was all that great."

There maybe some pretty fierce competition this year, but I think the three frontrunners are Idina Menzel, Jessie Mueller, & Kelli O'Hara.

I'm sure Sutton is still gonna get nominated because the Tony Administration Committee nominates her pretty much every single time she's up on Broadway. (with the exception of Young Frankenstein due to some pretty stiff competition that year) Updated On: 3/29/14 at 08:15 AM

[theminutepast]

Posted: 3/29/14 at 10:05am

Does Sutton have a scar or is it still left to our imagination?

[wickedfan11]

Posted: 3/29/14 at 10:14am

The scar is still left to the audience's imagination.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 3/29/14 at 4:18pm

The set reminds me of the set for a production of Always... Patsy Cline

[holdyourbatboy]

Posted: 3/29/14 at 4:38pm

Hate to rain on anyone's parade, but I was also there last night, and found it a huge disappointment. I've liked the show's cast recording for a long time - there are some beautiful melodies and I find some of the songs quite moving. I saw the City Center concert as well and thoroughly enjoyed it.

I found the direction and design of this production to be a complete mess. The set does not work for this show. I repeat, the set. does. not. work. The lighting was so oddly dark and bland - everytime they get on the bus the audience should feel like they are on the journey with them. However, the lighting stayed dark and because of the set we still felt inside the "diner/bar" set.

The way it is staged, the show falls flat. They sing most songs in chairs without movement. There is no musicality or fluidity to the staging. "On My Way" is a dynamic song, and I've seen it staged with much more excitement. The show doesn't really pick up until "Let It Sing" - which Joshua Henry pulls off with thrilling vocals and acting.

The sound was abysmal. Mics went in and out the entire show. I know it was the first preview, but it was VERY rough, especially for a production that seems to really be focusing on the music. The band and vocals did not blend.

That being said, the performances of Sutton Foster and Joshua Henry are outstanding. They sing and act the crap out of their material and give moving performances. Colin Donnell is "on his way" (pun intended), but his big (I think new) solo that replaced "You're Different" in the middle of the show was uncomfortable because he hasn't figured out how to sing it yet. It is a bit out of his range, and got very tepid applause.

The show falls flat. I hate to say that because I've loved the score for a long time. This isn't the "dream production" of the show it should have been. I hope they make some big changes to the staging, lighting and sound. Yes, it was the first preview, so I understand tech snafus happen. That doesn't change the fundamental problems with the design.

The show is worth seeing for a few great musical moments (the ensemble sounds FANTASTIC), and Sutton Foster and Joshua Henry's outstanding performances.

[MorningGlow2]

Posted: 4/1/14 at 10:57pm

Not much for writing reviews for shows, but I thoroughly enjoyed the show tonight.

I was not aware of the show beforehand nor did I attend the Encores concert. I frankly picked up a ticket because of Sutton Foster, but boy did the show blow me away.

Sutton Foster is fantastic as Violet. My image of Violet is rather closer to Lauren Ward (from what I saw in MATILDA), but Sutton had this certain feisty-ness that I thought was an interpretation that worked out quite well. Sitting 6 rows from the stage, I was also able to enjoy her facial expressions and she's a brilliant actor. Her singing is great, but you all know that.

Which brings me to the rest of the cast/ensemble. It's a been a while since I heard a cast this strong, not just individually, but as a group. I left the theater with the beautiful harmonies still ringing in my ears. Mic issues seem largely sorted out though I imagine it must be difficult to perfect with almost every ensemble member belting at one point or another.

As mentioned by others on the thread, I can see why the set design can create differing opinions. It was "okay" and it actually worked quite nicely in some scenes, but overall I felt it was over designed (even if rather barebones - if that even makes sense). And maybe that's where the problem is. It should have been either more bare or more designed. Felt too in-between to me.

All issues aside, at the end of the day, the show is about a young woman and her journey to find herself. Like all good stories, there are moments of joy, of sadness, of love, of despair, and of hope. Violet certainly carried me through that journey and left me wanting for more.

[Ed_Mottershead]

Posted: 4/1/14 at 11:23pm

For a variety of reasons, I don't think Kelli will win a Tony, although feel pretty confident she'll be nominated (Brantley must not be ignored -- ha-ha). My crystal ball tells me that Kelli will get her long-overdue Tony for next year's production of The King and I. BTW: anyone have an inkling who's going to play the King? Bobby Steggert? Happy April's Fool's Day!

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 4/2/14 at 8:35pm

This will be Kelli's fifth Tony nomination, so I don't think they'll make her wait another year for a win.

She should have won in 2008 for South Pacific, but Patti Lupone had been nominated three times without a win, so it was her turn. (Patti did win way back in 1980 for Evita.)

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 4/3/14 at 1:01am

How much material has been cut/added in the one act transformation and revision?

[DeNada]

Posted: 4/4/14 at 12:20am

Sat up in the rear mezz tonight and felt the sound was quite poor - most of the words were lost, particularly in ensemble numbers, which made it hard for me to engage with what was being sung about at times.

This was my first exposure to VIOLET entirely. It's a nice enough little show but I didn't feel like it really moved me much - perhaps that was down to the sound issues or distance from the stage, but it didn't really grab me much emotionally. Some lovely songs and some great singing (the gospel number is not my thing but it's very well delivered and staged) and it was wonderful to see Sutton Foster in the flesh for the first time in my life (she acts the part very well and of course sings it dynamically!), but it's not my favourite Tesori work. Maybe I would have liked it better in its original, tiny incarnation?

[forgetmenotnyc]

Posted: 4/5/14 at 1:09am

Tonight I had the opportunity to catch VIOLET. Sutton "Do No Wrong" Foster is proving herself an actress of merit w/this one & she is aptly supported w/a killer cast including Joshua Henry who is nothing short of GALVANIC! Annie Golden does a really great job of transforming from one character to another, Rema Webb brings down the house with her Gospel. Emerson Steele portrays young Violet with panache. (Ironically, I had heard the album from the Vineyard in the past, but thought young Violet songs were sung by a boy - so it was cool to finally catch the truth of the show.) Alexander Gemignani does a nice job as Violets father told in flashback but we need to know that it was his ax head flying off it's handle that ended up scarring his daughter. Colin Donnell holds his own against his powerhouse cast but to pair his song with his buddy's who is so amazing, seems to only play up his 2nd rate status. Ben Davis really needs a hand held mic for his evangelist role. He is probably the weakest role in the show. I couldn't hear him over all the gospel & his bus driver is nondescript. The staging of scenes in the bus need more work IMHO. It seemed more like plane seating than bus & why everyone would turn their seats at an angle except one is beyond me. I really enjoyed the show but it's CHRISTIAN emphasis may make it more popular in other parts of the country?

[Patash]

Posted: 4/5/14 at 8:28am

"Sutton is wonderful but Having seen all the likely nominees now, I still think this is Kelli O'Hara's year."

Over Audra MacDonald?

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 4/5/14 at 8:58am

"Over Audra MacDonald?"

Lady Day is being billed as 'a play with music', not a musical! So therefore, Audra is most likely going to be entered into the Leading Actress in a Play category.

[Taryn]

Posted: 4/5/14 at 5:57pm

Enjoyed this show a whole lot, and now am super sad to see that apparently the original off-Broadway recording is out of print? How will I get my fix?!

[mjohnson2]

Posted: 4/5/14 at 8:59pm

Like This Taryn

[haterobics]

Posted: 4/5/14 at 10:12pm

Hmm, I can't quite sort out what this show is... people say they won't go into detail to not spoil it, but I can't figure out what the show even is yet. Even the Roundabout site barely says anything.

Can someone post a non-spoily sense of what the show is?

Thanks. Updated On: 4/5/14 at 10:12 PM

[indytallguy]

Posted: 4/5/14 at 10:20pm

Some nice individual performances as others have noted, but I felt it never really came together. Some book scenes were very weak, and I felt the gospel number in particular was staged to manufacture the most reaction from the audience possible. The whole show felt forced to me on an emotional level. Plus some portions of it were just downright boring.

[wickedfan]

Posted: 4/6/14 at 12:09am

Wow, I'm surprised to read some of these comments. Caught this production tonight and thought it couldn't have been lovelier. The show itself is incredibly moving and Tesori's music has never sounded better than with this cast. Sutton Foster and Joshua Henry, in particular, are giving incredibly powerful performances. There might be some minor quibbles about a transition or two, and the sound design is somewhat muffled but...well...this is it. THIS is the power of musical theatre, if you can allow it to reach you.

I'd take this over just about any other musical offering I've seen this season (I still need to see Hedwig and Bullets). I was just in love with this production. By all means see it. "On My Way" is worth the price of admission. Or "Let It Sing." Or "Raise Me Up." Or...well, you get the idea.

[wickedfan]

Posted: 4/6/14 at 12:09am

Double post.

Updated On: 4/6/14 at 12:09 AM