I don’t think I’ve been so surprised by a musical since Grey Gardens. Violet is the story of a young woman, making a pilgrimage to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to be healed by a televangelist. When Violet was a girl, a freak accident scarred part of her face. Since then, she’s persevered as best she could, with a dad smart enough to treat her like any other daughter. Other kids at school aren’t so considerate, but she does okay. Most of Violet is set on her long, arduous bus ride, with its strange, funny collection of characters, young and old. She spends time listening to an Old Lady, who has Violet’s interests in mind. She befriends a couple of soldiers, Flick and Monty, and they hang out together, playing cards and drinking beer. The guys are headed back to base, where there’s a strong possibility they’ll be sent to Vietnam.
Like Arlie in Marsha Norman’s Getting Out, Violet is accompanied by herself as a girl, a character free to express the intense feeling her adult self cannot. We find song and musical opportunities in unexpected times and places, and a fresh and moving script by Brian Crawley that surprises us again and again. The music by Jeanine Tesori includes, Gospel, Soul and Blues, with vibrant energy and a confident swing from ballad, to celebration to grief. Tesori and Crawley seem to take mischievous pleasure in challenging our preconceived notions of musical theatre. There are no glamorous roles or admirable characters. But neither are there the repugnant or depraved. It reminded me of Flannery O’Connor or Eudora Welty. That unspoken, funny, skeptical wisdom.
Considering the subject matter: faith, catastrophe, surviving without cynicism, I was wondering if Violet might suggest God is the answer. That the miraculous is just around the corner. And it doesn’t say “No” to these. Instead it ponders the possibility that Violet (like the rest of us) might be looking outside herself. That grace might be something more palpable, less ethereal, less abstract. I don’t want to give too much away, but Violet offers comfort in careful consideration of the actual, rather than the vague and lofty. It seeks salvation in glorifying the strength in our shared humanity.
The large cast, under the wise and thoughtful eye of director Ashley Puckett Gonzalez, moved and performed with confidence, focus, and dedication. Some actors played numerous roles and their versatility was a thing of beauty. There were so many, sharp, touching moments and painful episodes captured with precision and presence. Consider the logistics, so many ways Violet could have gone sideways, but didn’t. So much splendid work, so much warmth and compassion. It was entertaining and brilliant.
I wish to thank Firehouse Theatre, who permitted me to attend the last performance of the run. I have never attended a show at Firehouse, that wasn’t impeccable. Honest.
Firehouse Theatre Company, 2535 Valley View Ln, Farmers Branch, TX 75234. (972) 620-3747. thefirehousetheatre.com