Seacoast Rep is pleased to present Violet for the first time ever! Winner of the Drama Critics’ Circle Award and Lucille Lortel Award for Best Musical when it premiered off-Broadway in 1997, and then on to a Tony nominated Broadway debut in 2014 with a revised version, Violet is a moving musical featuring show-stopping anthems ranging from American-roots to folk to gospel. With a score from Tony-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 is inspired by the short story, The Ugliest Pilgrim by Doris Betts, astounding critics and audiences alike in two separate decades.
As a girl, Violet was struck by a wayward axe blade when her father was chopping wood, leaving her with a visible scar across her face. With enough money finally saved she’s traveling across the 1964 Deep South towards a miracle – the healing touch of a TV evangelist that will make her beautiful. Though she may not succeed in having the scar on her face healed, Violet is able to repair those that are lying deeper than her skin; and on the way she meets a young, African-American Soldier whose love for her reaches far past her physical “imperfections”.
Starring Alyssa Dumas and Caroline Shaheen, and cast with a talented ensemble of regional favorites, Violet is sure to delight and inspire you.