Violet 1997 - Articles Page 2.6

Ages: 15+
Opened: March 11, 1997
Closing: April 06, 1997

Violet - 1997 - Off-Broadway History , Info & More

Playwrights Horizons
416 West 42nd St.(between 9th & 10th Aves) New York, NY 10036

Based on The Ugliest Pilgrim by Doris Betts

Set in 1964 in the Deep South during the early days of the Civil Rights Movement, strongVIOLET/strong

follows the growth and enlightenment of a bitter young woman

accidentally scarred by her father. In hopes that a TV evangelist can

cure her, she embarks on a journey by bus from her sleepy North

Carolina town to Oklahoma. Along the way, she meets a young black

soldier who teaches her about beauty, love, courage and what it means

to be an outsider. brbrOne of the most acclaimed off-Broadway shows of the ?90s, strongVIOLET/strong

astounded critics and audiences with its powerful story, its energetic,

toe-tapping Gospel, Rock, Country, and Rhythm and Blues score by a href="http://mtishows.com/biography.asp?writerid=3343"Jeanine Tesori/a, and its well-crafted book and lyrics by a href="http://mtishows.com/biography.asp?writerid=3237"Brian Crawley/a

that are not afraid to deal with important, sensitive issues. Its

simple set and modest cast and orchestra requirements adjust to any

scale production. strongVIOLET /strongfeatures a strong ensemble cast with bravura roles for the two leads.

Violet - 1997 - Off-Broadway Cast

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Violet - 1997 - Off-Broadway Articles Page 2.6

Photo Flash: First Look at Bay Area Musicals' VIOLET
by Stephi Wild - Feb 17, 2019


Bay Area Musicals presents the Tony Award-nominated VIOLET. Inspired by the short story "The Ugliest Pilgrim" by Doris Betts, the World Premiere 1997 Off-Broadway production of VIOLET won the Drama Critics' Circle Award and Lucille Lortel Award for Best Musical, and the revised version that debuted on Broadway in 2014 was Tony Award-nominated. Featuring a folk/bluegrass/gospel-flavored score from Tony Award-winning composer Jeanine Tesori (CAROLINE, OR CHANGE; THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE; SHREK; FUN HOME) and book and lyrics by the acclaimed Brian Crawley (A LITTLE PRINCESS), VIOLET has been astounding critics and audiences alike for over two decades.

VIDEO: Behind The Scenes of VIOLET At Bay Area Musicals
by A.A. Cristi - Feb 7, 2019


Bay Area Musicals presents the Tony Award-nominated VIOLET. Inspired by the short story 'The Ugliest Pilgrim' by Doris Betts, the World Premiere 1997 Off-Broadway production of VIOLET won the Drama Critics' Circle Award and Lucille Lortel Award for Best Musical, and the revised version that debuted on Broadway in 2014 was Tony Award-nominated.

Bay Area Musicals' Presents VIOLET
by A.A. Cristi - Jan 24, 2019


Bay Area Musicals (Matthew McCoy, Founder & Artistic Director, and AeJay Mitchell, Managing Director) has announced the full cast and creative team for the Company's first 2019 production, the Tony Award-nominated VIOLET. Inspired by the short story 'The Ugliest Pilgrim' by Doris Betts, the World Premiere 1997 Off-Broadway production of VIOLET won the Drama Critics' Circle Award and Lucille Lortel Award for Best Musical, and the revised version that debuted on Broadway in 2014 was Tony Award-nominated. Featuring a folk/bluegrass/gospel-flavored score from Tony Award-winning composer Jeanine Tesori (CAROLINE, OR CHANGE; THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE; SHREK; FUN HOME) and book and lyrics by the acclaimed Brian Crawley (A LITTLE PRINCESS), VIOLET has been astounding critics and audiences alike for over two decades.

Cast Announced For Bay Area Musicals' VIOLET
by Stephi Wild - Jan 8, 2019


Bay Area Musicals (Matthew McCoy, Founder & Artistic Director, and AeJay Mitchell, Managing Director) has announced the full cast and creative team for the Company's first 2019 production, the Tony Award-nominated VIOLET. Inspired by the short story "The Ugliest Pilgrim" by Doris Betts, the World Premiere 1997 Off-Broadway production of VIOLET won the Drama Critics' Circle Award and Lucille Lortel Award for Best Musical, and the revised version that debuted on Broadway in 2014 was Tony Award-nominated. Featuring a folk/bluegrass/gospel-flavored score from Tony Award-winning composer Jeanine Tesori (CAROLINE, OR CHANGE; THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE; SHREK; FUN HOME) and book and lyrics by the acclaimed Brian Crawley (A LITTLE PRINCESS), VIOLET has been astounding critics and audiences alike for over two decades.

BWW Review: Belmont University Musical Theatre's Startling Revival of SIDE SHOW
by Jeffrey Ellis - Nov 18, 2018


Macy Medford and Arden Guice may only be college students, but their performances as Violet and Daisy Hilton, the heroines of Side Show - the iconic musical by Bill Russell, Henry Krieger and Bill Condon that debuted on Broadway some 20 years ago - in Belmont University Musical Theatre's production that runs for just one weekend, are nothing less than a professional triumph for each young woman. Thoroughly committed and startlingly focused, Medford and Guice perform an oftentimes tricky, always challenging, task in order that the two young women effectively become their characters, ensuring the musical packs an emotional wallop delivered straight to the collective heart of its audience, while showcasing the evolution of a musical theatre program at the Nashville university, which over the years has gained a national reputation as the training ground of the next generations of Broadway stars yet to be.

BWW REVIEW: SIDE SHOW Opens Theatre Season at Oklahoma City University's Wanda L. Bass School of Music
by Jessica Vanek - Oct 8, 2018


BWW REVIEW: SIDE SHOW Opens Theatre Season at Oklahoma City University's Wanda L. Bass School of Music

Firebrand And TimeLine Theatre Present CAROLINE, OR CHANGE
by BWW News Desk - Sep 25, 2018


Firebrand Theatre, in partnership with TimeLine Theatre Company, is pleased to launch its 2018-19 season with a revival of the Tony Award-nominated Best Musical CAROLINE, OR CHANGE, playing September 22 - October 28, 2018, at The The Den Theatre's Heath Main Stage, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave.

Firebrand And TimeLine Theatre Present CAROLINE, OR CHANGE
by BWW News Desk - Sep 22, 2018


Firebrand Theatre, in partnership with TimeLine Theatre Company, is pleased to launch its 2018-19 season with a revival of the Tony Award-nominated Best Musical CAROLINE, OR CHANGE, playing September 22 - October 28, 2018, at The The Den Theatre's Heath Main Stage, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave.

Firebrand And TimeLine Theatre Present CAROLINE, OR CHANGE
by Julie Musbach - Aug 23, 2018


Firebrand Theatre, in partnership with TimeLine Theatre Company, is pleased to launch its 2018-19 season with a revival of the Tony Award-nominated Best Musical CAROLINE, OR CHANGE, playing September 22 - October 28, 2018, at The The Den Theatre's Heath Main Stage, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave.

Firebrand & TimeLine Announce Casting For CAROLINE, OR CHANGE At The Den Theatre
by Julie Musbach - Jun 28, 2018


Firebrand Theatre, in partnership with TimeLine Theatre Company, is pleased to announces casting for its revival of the Tony Award-nominated Best Musical CAROLINE, OR CHANGE, featuring music by Jeanine Tesori (Fun Home, Violet), book and lyrics by Tony Kushner (Angels in America), direction by Lili-Anne Brown and music direction by Andra Velis Simon. 

BWW Interview: Marcia Seligson Responsibly Reviving REPRISE
by Gil Kaan - Jun 12, 2018


Los Angeles theatre lovers will see the welcomed return of the singularly entertaining Reprise productions, rebooted appropriately as REPRISE 2.0. Headed, as before, by producing artistic director Marcia Seligson, REPRISE 2.0 has already announced their first season, beginning June 20, 2018 with SWEET CHARITY, VICTOR, VICTORIA and GRAND HOTEL. Marcia availed herself from her multi-tasking REPRISE 2.0 duties to chat with me.

Queensbury Theatre, CityCentre Announces 2018/19 Season
by A.A. Cristi - Jun 5, 2018


Queensbury Theatre is proud to announce the 2018/19 Mainstage Season at CityCentre. As Houston's only professional theatre outside of the loop, Queensbury Theatre is marking a new chapter with the 2018/19 Mainstage Season featuring a world premiere and a show-stopping holiday favorite.

BWW Review: VIOLET at Actors Co-Op
by Cary Ginell - Jun 1, 2018


Claire Adams stars as a young North Carolina woman seeking a miracle - to heal her disfigured face caused by a farm accident from when she was young. Embarking on a Greyhound bus bound for Tulsa just after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was implemented, Violet deals with race, guilt, and shame in her quest to get an Oklahoma faith healer to make her inner and outer scars vanish.

Bay Area Musicals Announces 2018-2019 Season
by Julie Musbach - May 23, 2018


Bay Area Musicals (Matthew McCoy, Founder & Artistic Director, and AeJay Mitchell, Managing Director) has announced the show titles for its upcoming fourth season.

Award-Winning Actors Co-Op Theatre Company Presents VIOLET 
by BWW News Desk - May 11, 2018


Actors Co-op Theatre Company (Ovation Award-Winner 2017 Best Play, Intimate Theatre for 33 Variations) is proud to present the Tony nominated musical VIOLET, with music by Jeanine Tesori, book and lyrics by Brian Crawley, based on the short story 'The Ugliest Pilgrim' by Doris Betts, directed by Richard Israel, produced by Thomas Chavira. Violet opens Today, May 11 at 8:00 pm, and will run through Sunday, June 17 at the Actors Co-op Crossley Theatre, 1760 N. Gower Street, 90028 (on the campus of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood) in Hollywood.

Firebrand Theatre Announces 2018-19 Season
by A.A. Cristi - May 1, 2018


Firebrand Theatre, the first musical theatre company committed to employing and empowering women by expanding opportunities on and off the stage, is pleased to announce its second season, featuring two fully-produced musicals, including a Chicago premiere. 

Award-Winning Actors Co-Op Theatre Company Presents VIOLET 
by Julie Musbach - Apr 20, 2018


Actors Co-op Theatre Company (Ovation Award-Winner 2017 Best Play, Intimate Theatre for 33 Variations) is proud to present the Tony nominated musical VIOLET, with music by Jeanine Tesori, book and lyrics by Brian Crawley, based on the short story 'The Ugliest Pilgrim' by Doris Betts, directed by Richard Israel, produced by Thomas Chavira. Violet opens Friday, May 11 at 8:00 pm, and will run through Sunday, June 17 at the Actors Co-op Crossley Theatre, 1760 N. Gower Street, 90028 (on the campus of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood) in Hollywood.

BWW Review: VIOLET Charms at St. Edwards
by Frank Benge - Apr 17, 2018


VIOLET is a 1997 musical with music by Jeanine Tesori and book and lyrics by Brian Crawley. It's based on the short story 'The Ugliest Pilgrim' by Doris Betts. The musical first premiered Off-Broadway in 1997 and won the Drama Critics' Circle Award and Lucille Lortel Award as Best Musical, it was later produced on Broadway but considered a revival. While it was Tony Award nominated, it did not win.

NNPN Announces Five Rolling World Premieres Opening Within The Month!
by A.A. Cristi - Feb 28, 2018


National New Play Network, the country's alliance of nonprofit theaters that champions the development, production, and continued life of new plays, announces five NNPN Rolling World Premieres (RWP): Ready Steady Yeti Go by David Jacobi, Ripe Frenzy by Jennifer Barclay, Apples in Winter by Jennifer Fawcett, The Mermaid Hour by David Valdes Greenwood, and Heartland by Gabriel Jason Dean. The five plays will receive a total of 17 NNPN RWP productions, with each play seeing at least three distinct productions in a 12-month period.

Full Casting Announced For CAROLINE, OR CHANGE And ACCEPTANCE At Hampstead Theatre
by A.A. Cristi - Feb 20, 2018


'That old copper statue by the Courthouse downtown, honouring the dead Confederate soldier, ain't there no more…'

BWW Review: OC's Chance Theater presents Touching Musical VIOLET
by Michael Quintos - Feb 15, 2018


A quieter, more down-to-earth musical-but done so with a bellowing musical prowess thanks to book writer and lyricist Brian Crawley and composer Jeanine Tesori-VIOLET explores the multiple layers of feelings associated with being and living life as an 'other' within an environment that promotes (and unfairly rewards) societal normalcy and uniformity-and all the baggage that comes with it. The delicate yet still poignantly powerful 1997 award-winning off-Broadway musical continues its regional premiere production (based on the 2014 Broadway revival) at Orange County's Chance Theater in Anaheim through March 4, 2018.

Billy Crudup Returns in HARRY CLARKE for 10 Weeks Only at the Minetta Lane Theatre
by Julie Musbach - Feb 14, 2018


On the heels of a sold out, twice-extended world premiere produced by Vineyard Theatre in association with Audible, Audible Inc., the world's largest producer and provider of downloadable audiobooks and other spoken-word entertainment, is pleased to announce that Tony Award winner Billy Crudup will return to the title role in Harry Clarke, written by Obie Award winner David Cale (Lillian) and directed by Leigh Silverman (Violet).

Photo Flash: Chance Theater presents VIOLET; Opening Saturday
by A.A. Cristi - Feb 5, 2018


Chance Theater, Anaheim's official resident theater company, is pleased to announce its production of Violet, which will kick off its 20th Anniversary Season. The show has book and lyrics by Brian Crawley, music by Jeanine Tesori, direction and choreography by Kari Hayter, and musical direction by Robyn Manion. Violet will preview from February 2 through February 9; regular performances will begin February 10 and continue through March 4 at Chance Theater @ Bette Aitken theater arts Center on the Cripe Stage.

DRY POWDER Launches Today at Hampstead Theatre,CAROLINE, OR CHANGE to Follow
by BWW News Desk - Jan 26, 2018


Hampstead Theatre announces the first two productions for 2018.The UK premiere of Sarah Burgess' breathtakingly witty Dry Powder will be directed by Anna Ledwich and begins performances today.

Other Productions of Violet

1997   Off-Broadway Original Off-Broadway Production
Off-Broadway
2014   Broadway Roundabout Production
Broadway
2019   West End London Premiere at Charing Cross Theatre
West End

Violet - 1997 Off-Broadway Awards and Nominations

Note: Award winners will appear on a background
Year Ceremony Category Nominee
1997 Drama Desk Awards Outstanding Actress - Musical Lauren Ward
1997 Drama Desk Awards Outstanding Director - Musical Susan H. Schulman
1997 Drama Desk Awards Outstanding Featured Actor - Musical Michael McElroy
1997 Drama Desk Awards Outstanding Lyrics Brian Crawley
1997 Drama Desk Awards Outstanding Music Jeanine Tesori
1997 Drama Desk Awards Outstanding New Musical Violet
1997 Drama Desk Awards Outstanding Orchestration Joseph Joubert
1997 Drama Desk Awards Outstanding Orchestration Buryl Red
1997 New York Drama Critics Circle Awards Best Musical Jeanine Tesori
1997 New York Drama Critics Circle Awards Best Musical Brian Crawley
1997 Outer Critics Circle Awards Best Off Broadway Musical 0
1997 The Lortels Outstanding Musical Playwrights Horizons
1997 The Lortels Outstanding Musical Ira Weitzman
1997 The Lortels Outstanding Musical Jeanine Tesori (associate producer)

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