BWW Reviews: VIOLET- Music and Drama at its Best at Spinning Tree Theatre

Each time I think that the performing arts in Kansas City cannot get any better Spinning Tree Theatre opens another production and proves there is no limit to the highest quality shows available to local audiences. Opening night for Violet at the Just Off Broadway Theatre on Saturday November 8 was no exception, as some of the most talented actors in the area delighted the audience with another outstanding performance.

Michael Grayman and Andy Parkhurst direct and choreograph the production with music by Jeanine Tesori, libretto by Brian Crawley and based on the short story "The Ugliest Pilgrim" by Doris Betts. Violet opened Off Broadway in 1997, winning the Drama Critics' Circle Award and Lucille Lortel Award as Best Musical.

Violet is the story of a young girl, scarred early in life in an accident with an axe, who travels by bus to Tulsa, Oklahoma to visit a televangelist in hopes he can pray away the facial scar that torments her. It is a story of the people she meets on the bus and befriends, and more importantly of the people that see her for who she is and not the ugly scarred woman from the mountains of North Carolina.

Lauren Braton gives one of her finest performances as Violet. There is no doubt that Braton is among the top female vocalists in the area, but her powerful performance on Saturday rockets her to the top of the list for dramatic artists in Kansas City. In Act I, she gives a strong performance equal to her vocals, but in Act II, she brings it home with the intensity equal to that of any performer on a Kansas City stage.

As Braton stands singing at the front of the stage in the opening number, behind a thin curtain appears Devyn Trondson as Young Violet, and looking oh-so-much like her counterpart. Making her debut at Spinning Tree Theatre Trondson gives a fine performance and has a magnificent voice.

Matthew King stars as Flick, an army sergeant Violet meets on the bus. King's dedication to his craft is blatantly obvious, having cut his long dread locks to a closely cropped style more fitting of his character. King has a dynamic voice and easily handles the dramatic roles he undertakes. Daniel Beeman plays Monty, a soldier traveling with Flick, who is shallow and tries in vain to overlook the scar on Violet's face. Having seen Beeman in several performances, I expect the highest quality from him, and he never fails to deliver.

Julie Shaw, another of the finest performers in Kansas City, portrays an Old Lady on the bus and a Hotel Hooker. Her performance was as grand as we have come to anticipate from her. Tim Ahlenius gives a delightful performance as the Father.

Many of Kansas City's finest performers are in the cast: Samantha Barboza, Damian Blake, Bob Linebarger, Linnaia McKenzie, Bob Wearing, Jake Bartley, Katelyn Baron, and Katie Hulla. The band conducted by Angie Benson on keyboard includes Brian Wilson on bass, Erik Voeks on guitar 1, Joe Levens on guitar 2, and Kyle Brown on percussion. The excellence of the performances is a tribute to Spinning Tree Theatre. The quality of the theatrical company's productions are high, drawing some of the best talent available.

Violet continues at the Just Off Broadway Theatre through November 23. Purchase tickets by calling 816-569-5277 or visit the Spinning Tree Theatre website. Photograph by Brian Paulette and courtesy of Spinning Tree Theatre.

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