Dallas Theatre Center's The Violet Hour

[msutton]

Posted: 3/7/05 at 9:58pm

I saw this show last friday night, got a student rush ticket (awesome deal; $12 dollars, I got fourth row center, basically, maybe the best seat I've ever had in the AWESOME Frank Lloyd Wright designed Kalita Humphrey Theatre), and had really really mixed opinions on it. Did any of the other local members on here see it yet? I had heard that it's original broadway run was marred by some beyond mediocre technical stuff, cast, etc., but that the material seemed to show some potential.

The DTC show seems pretty much the opposite. The set is beautiful, the lighting is some of the best I've seen there (the beams of light coming through the windows were uncanny. I don't know how to describe them. The room felt so realistic, almost all thanks to the lighting. fantastic work), the 'special effects' of the machine spitting out paper were executed seamlessly, and the shows frequent comedy was always perfectly timed. But the way the actors have been directed (dir. David Kennedy, assistant director of Urinetown, does a terrific jobvisually) is awkward; they are made caracatures of the age at the very moments when we need to feel "in their shoes."

And the material itself didnt seem too strong. Some great moments, to be sure, but a few too many topical references and an extremely overlong second half just through the show off balance. It's certainly not bad - when it's on, it's a great show - but not as special as I hoped coming from DTC. I hoped for something in the veign of their "Accidental Death of an Anarchist" which was fantastic.

If anyone else has seen it, please chime in. And I certainly do not mean to discourage anyone from going to see it. It's well worth the ticket price for the set, lighting, and especially the hilarous performance of Matthew Boston. Updated On: 3/7/05 at 09:58 PM

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 3/7/05 at 10:16pm

Not Greenberg's strongest work, but a worthwhile play nonetheless that was sunk in New York by miscasting. Hope it has a better fate in Dallas.

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 3/7/05 at 10:21pm

Wonderful review.

I agree with Margo that the New York production was laughably miscast, but the play still has its merits.

[msutton]

Posted: 3/7/05 at 10:24pm

What were the cast problems on Broadway? Seavering, in the Dallas production, is quite good, but physically he so resembled Jack Skellington from Nightmare Before Christmas that it took about half an hour for me to take him seriously in the role. Other than that, the cast fit their roles good, if in a couple of cases they seemed occasionally to work harder on exemplifying aspects of the age instead of truely connecting with their characters or the material.

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 3/7/05 at 10:27pm

I saw the show when Jasmine Guy was still playing Jessie. That was a big problem right there.

Scott Foley was laughable. His stage presence was about negative 75. Dagmara was under-rehearsed and tripped up a lot of her dialogue. Mario Cantone was playing Mario Cantone, as usual. RSL was fine, but not as good as he usually is.

[msutton]

Posted: 3/7/05 at 11:12pm

haha i see...