Official Description: Two-time Tony Award® winner Sutton Foster returns to Roundabout in the highly anticipated Broadway debut of the musical Violet, following the acclaimed concert performance at City Center Encores! Off-Center. Winner of the Drama Critics’ Circle Award and Lucille Lortel Award for Best Musical when it premiered Off-Broadway, Violet features music by Tony nominee Jeanine Tesori (Caroline, or Change, Fun Home) and book and lyrics by Brian Crawley (A Little Princess). With a score of show-stopping anthems ranging from American-roots to folk to gospel, Violet tells the story of a young woman’s quest for beauty amidst the image-obsessed landscape of the 1960s. Facially disfigured in a childhood accident, Violet dreams of a miraculous transformation through the power of faith. Convinced that a televangelist in Oklahoma can heal her, she hops a Greyhound bus and starts the journey of a lifetime. Along the way, Violet forms unlikely friendships with her fellow riders, who teach her about beauty, love, courage and what it means to be an outsider.
My Take: My take on this show is lukewarm at best. I was not 100% convinced, yet it was an agreeable night at the theater. The best part: Sutton Foster. However the best part of her performance was not her signing but her acting , which was a surprise, albeit a positive one. She plays a disfigured woman, yet no prosthetics are used, it’s all implied based on the book and her performance which works. It is a sweet, quiet show. Dont expect massive sets, or over the top dramatics. Its contained and emotional.
The music is nice and very appropriate for the story, just nothing that left me humming.
Official Description:HEATHERS THE MUSICAL is the darkly delicious story of Veronica Sawyer, a brainy, beautiful teenage misfit who hustles her way into the most powerful and ruthless clique at Westerberg High: the Heathers. But before she can get comfortable atop the high school food chain, Veronica falls in love with the dangerously sexy new kid JD. When Heather Chandler, the Almighty, kicks her out of the group, Veronica decides to bite the bullet and kiss Heather’s aerobicized ass… but JD has another plan for that bullet. Brought to you by the award-winning creative team of Kevin Murphy (Reefer Madness, Defiance), Laurence O’Keefe (Bat Boy,Legally Blonde) and Andy Fickman (Reefer Madness, She’s the Man), HEATHERS THE MUSICAL is a hilarious, heartfelt and homicidal new show based on the greatest teen comedy of all time. With its unflinching look at the joys and anguish of high school, moving love story and laugh-out-loud comedy, HEATHERS will be New York’s most popular new musical.
My Take: this was a really fun night at the theater! Campy and fabulous would be my description. The music is super catchy, the actors are great and if you love the movie you need to watch it (but if you haven’t seen the movie, doesn’t matter, you will still think its great!). A guilty pleasure that you should all go enjoy, its just fun!
Random comment no. 1: the lead Ryan McCartan, who is the guy from Liv and Maddie, who i thought was like 30 at least – is 18!! talk about having great stage precense. Random comment no. 2: The girl who plays Heather Chandler look really similar to the girl from the movie – crazy! Random comment no. 3: I want a croquet set!
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