VIOLET - Blooming with Great Music on B'wy

The Broadway Show VIOLET is effusive with fabulous music/singing, a stellar cast and a moving drama that is entertaining throughout the entire 1 1/2 hr. one act play.  The show, set in 1964, traverses the Amer. South via Greyhound bus.  On board is Violet (Sutton Foster, Tony winner Anything Goes) seeking a miracle from an evangelist she wholeheartedly believes will make her grotesque facial disfigurement disappear and restore her looks.  Also on board are Monty (Colin Donnell, Tony nom. Anything Goes)  and Flick (Joshua Henry, Tony Nom. Scottsboro Boys.)  Both Monty & Flick are army buddies, on leave looking for whatever good times there are to be had.  The threesome form a motley group enroute.  The men convince Violet (with little hesitation) to spend a night at their motel.  Tensions & confessions abound as do racial slurs & concerns.  Violet is a beguiling mix of feistiness & insecurites.  Her gullibility evokes sympathy for its futility & her desperation.  The brisk staging deftly  blend past & present with potent musical numbers.  The orchestra remains on stage.  It does an amazing job of performing a barrage of musical styles which help tell the story.  Foster, is a singing & acting sensation.  Her clarion voice is lovely.  Her co-stars, Henry & Donnell are both amazing with excellent voices & deeply stirring performances.  The flashbacks to a young Violet, Emerson Steele, in her B'wy debut, heralds the beginning of new musical talent to grace the Great White Way.  VIOLET is a lovely bouquet, one of the best musicals to grace B'wy.