Violet – A Musical

Violet is a relatively new American musical, and is a wonderful representation of the types of musicals coming from the Broadway theatre today; that is, not like the usual blockbusters that generally grace our Australian stages.

This SA production, directed by David Gauci, with Musical Direction by Peter Johns, is simply terrific. Set in middle America in the 1960s during the Vietnam War era, it is essentially a ‘romance’ - a journey, a kind of modern day ‘road’ musical, involving a severely disfigured young woman, Violet,’ travelling to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to seek a miracle cure from a popular American evangelist. It is ultimately a journey of acceptance and the discovery of love and hope.

Violet’s story is partly told in flashback with two Violets, as a young girl with her father and as the adult Violet travelling by bus to Tulsa.

The music has a contemporary ‘country’ and ‘blue grass’ feeling and tone, with a touch of ‘gospel’, not unlike other new American musicals such as Memphis (2010) and Hands on a Hardbody (2013).

This show has a rather large cast as well as musicians and stage crew – they are all excellent. Eloise Q Valentine as Young Violet and Casmira Hambledon as the adult Violet are simply wonderful in regards to revealing the range and depth of the character, as are Fahad Faroque and Mitchell Smith as the two American soldiers the adult Violet meets on her journey.

With so much fabulous local talent displayed on stage it is a wonder to me that South Australia does not have its own Musical Theatre school and professional Musical theatre company. Why are these people being ignored? It is a disgrace and an artistic crime that smacks of sheer snobbery and pretentious prejudice when clearly this State could be a national leader in this particular popular theatre form.

Violet-A Musical is highly recommended.

Tony Knight

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