The New York Times - Highly Recommended
"... ¦[a] terrific, heart-stirring revival ¦ starring Ms. Foster in a career-redefining performance ¦ If the time has come for Ms. Foster to take her place among the first rank of Broadway musical theater performers, the moment also seems ripe for Violet" ¦ [Tesori's] music for Violet ¯ can stand along with her best work ¦ although Violet's relationship with both soldiers could use more elaboration in Mr. Crawley's book ¦ Ms. Foster's multihued performance is tart, funny and nicely astringent ¦"
NY Daily News - Highly Recommended
"...Buckle your seatbelts, folks ¦ what a wonderful trip it is. When a show works it tugs you insistently into its universe. This production purrs from start to finish. Director Leigh Silverman's smart and lean staging for the Roundabout modifies that evening a bit ¦ The three stars are at the top of their game. Two-time Tony winner Foster brings grit and grace. Donnell nails the pretty boy who's deeper than he appears. And Henry delivers one of the season's most joyful jolts with the thrilling number Let It Sing. ¯"
Associated Press - Highly Recommended
"......a score so rich and sublime ¦ Crawley's story is a little rushed, and while at times it sometimes seems to be veering into maudlin, he pulls out before danger ¦ But these are mere tiny disfigurements to a show that deserves our full admiration. Director Leigh Silverman has a sensitive, genuine touch and nicely navigates tough scenes ¦ Of course, it helps when you've got someone like Foster, a natural triple-threat..."
Hollywood Reporter - Highly Recommended
"......it's always refreshing to see a modestly scaled show in which the cast and creative team trust in the value of emotional intimacy. Driven by a performance of incandescent yearning from Sutton Foster that's all the more moving for its restraint, Violet is a delicate wildflower, craning toward the sun. Director Leigh Silverman's spirited yet sensitive production makes this poignant story of a facially disfigured farm girl's journey to self-acceptance genuinely uplifting ¦ while Tesori's tuneful score is outstanding, the dramatic scenes are equally good ¦ While the story could be treacly sentiment in less skilled hands, Violet brings a quiet spiritual undertow to its characters' search for fortifying connections. It's emotionally satisfying without being manipulative ¦ Silverman has put together a beautiful ensemble, in which Foster provides a riveting center..."
Vulture - Highly Recommended
"......a work of great resonance and beauty and joy. (It's also surprisingly sexy.) At its best, Violet is a rare example of how song can work to bind all the elements of theater plot and theme and character and emotion into moments so rich with information they are almost overwhelming... the specificity of Silverman's full but simple staging sometimes leaves you in a confusing no-man's-land between abstraction and specificity. But when it sings, Violet obviates such concerns. I don't mean just when it melodizes. Crawley's dialogue is as pungent and musical as his lyrics. And in Sutton Foster he and Tesori have found the ideal star."
Variety - Highly Recommended
"......Leigh Silverman and collaborating creatives have done a lovely job of reviving this winsome 1997 musical by Brian Crawley (book & lyrics) and Jeanine Tesori (music). The title role ¦ feels tailor-made for Broadway It Girl Sutton Foster (Anything Goes ¯), whose galvanic concert perf at Encores! jump-started this revival....Crawley, who scribbled the book, also supplied the clever, unconventional lyrics..."
USA Today - Recommended
"......quietly affecting and lovingly staged by director Leigh Silverman. Originally presented off-Broadway in 1997, Violet has the intimate feel of a chamber piece, so the vast space here doesn't seem like an ideal setting. Crawley's sensitive dialogue can drag at times as can Tesori's rootsy score, which veers from country-flavored ballads to R&B and gospel-tinged production numbers. But Silverman and her cast reward our patience with performances that transcend clichĆ©s, taking care to make the fragility of these characters, and their different quests for dignity and love, authentic ¦ The leading lady, not surprisingly, meets the challenges posed by her role ¦"
New York Post - Highly Recommended
"......if Foster's good for the production's profile, Violet ¯ returns the favor by giving the star her richest, most rewarding role to date... It could easily be maudlin and hokey, but instead Violet ¯ bursts with life and energy, humor and tenderness. As for the score, it's simply one of the best of the past 20 years."
Entertainment Weekly - Highly Recommended
"...Is there any contemporary musical theater composer more versatile than Jeanine Tesori? ¦ As musicals go, the story couldn't be simpler. Yet the material couldn't be richer ¦ It's impossible not to get swept up by rousing numbers like Violet's ''On My Way'' and Flick's ''Let It Sing'' ¦ [Foster's] never been more vulnerable, or more moving, than she is here. Save a bump or two, director Leigh Silverman's production glides smoothly along ¦ you'll never regret taking the ride."
Newsday - Highly Recommended
"...The new Broadway musical we've been waiting for has arrived... [a]deeply original, tough but romantic thrill of a show starring the smashing Sutton Foster... [a] haunting chamber piece -- with infectious and unpredictable folk-country music by Jeanine Tesori and a smart book by lyricist Brian Crawley... a taut, vibrant, dirt-kicking show directed with exuberance and minimal fuss by Leigh Silverman... it is filled with unexpected details, compassion for its quirky characters and, especially, a rigorous score..."
amNY - Highly Recommended
"...Everything about Violet ¯ is extraordinary, from its captivating, character-driven storytelling and pulsating country-rock score to the focused direction from Leigh Silverman and pitch-perfect casting. Foster, a two-time Tony winner, gives her most expressive, deeply felt and vibrant performance to date, fully capturing the character's yearning and volatility. It ought to be required viewing for all aspiring stage actors. She is joined by the similarly excellent Joshua Henry, Colin Donnell, Alexander Gemignani, Annie Golden and Ben Davis."
Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"... ¦[a] tender and haunting little musical ¦ despite some stellar musical performances and moments of resonance, [this production] gets caught somewhere between the minimalist and the expansive demands of Broadway and, alas, loses its way ¦ Silverman's "Violet" struggles with a problem with which every "Violet" must deal: the apparent incongruity of a character who says she is undesirable yet enjoys the attentions of two handsome men for much of the musical's stage time. But the piece wavers more in the crucial last few minutes ¦ you never really feel the pull of place, or of a lost time, nor the comforts of a well-defined imagined world. Foster throws herself into this unglamorous role ¦ It is a very honorable performance, filled with craft. Foster never condescends, and she clearly enjoys her character's intelligence, although she, too, struggles toward the end with the need for climax and consequence."
NBC New York - Highly Recommended
"...It's hard to believe Violet ¯ was Testori's first musical, as her score is rich with complex melodies and delicate themes ¦ Crawley's lyrics are pure poetry ¦ you'll fall in love with Foster so wholeheartedly, you won't want her to leave anytime soon."
Time Out New York - Recommended
"...It's the darkest and richest role Foster has played, and she swings with marvelous speed from defensive prickliness to poignant hope ¦ In expanding Betts's story, Crawley freights these relationships with more weight than his writing supports, and small moments of exaggeration (in the writing and staging) interfere with the piece's mood. But Tesori's music is a savory stew of American roots, stirringly sung by a cast that includes Emerson Steele as a younger Violet and Rema Webb as a gospel soloist. Though flawed on its face, Violet provides as Flick sings in the show's best song reason to rejoice."
The Wrap - Recommended
"...A simple and homespun affair ¦ Leigh Silverman's direction puts the broad back in Broadway, with three star performers who would make a terrific cast if anyone gets around to doing a musical version of Noel Coward's Design for Living" ¦ In this spirit of anything you can do, I can do bigger, the amplification could beat Rocky ¯ for loudest on Broadway in that upcoming awards sweepstakes ¦ Since every other song is geared to bring down the house, it's a surprise the American Airlines Theatre still stands. Several spare but lovely melodies continue to run through Tesori's music; one thing that the original Violet ¯ had going for it was simplicity ¦ Some of that unadorned lyrical beauty remains in Violet's ballads, nicely sung by Sutton Foster. She succeeds in not competing with the showbiz brashness surrounding her, although the actress's signature can-do spunk doesn't always jibe with Violet's self-image. Perhaps that little inconsistency doesn't matter."
New Jersey Newsroom - Highly Recommended
"...Let me briefly add my voice to the chorus of praise for Violet, ¯ the lovely little musical ¦ Rolling along with a radiant score by Jeanine Tesori, the musical requires some suspended disbelief from its audience, but once that's secured, the show presents a touching story about a young woman's simple pursuit of happiness. Sutton Foster's natural performance in the title role heightens the homespun charm of director Leigh Silverman's production ¦ it sure is nice to see Violet ¯ finally arrive on Broadway, where its winsome score and sweet story are likely to beguile Roundabout subscribers and many others."
Talkin Broadway - Highly Recommended
"... ¦a show packed with eye- and ear-popping wonders. A spine-tinglingly simple recreation of the not-so-integrated 1960s South. The conjuration of a flood of music that washes over your body and through your soul. The dazzling display of theatrical prestidigitation that occurs when someone who's been disfigured for the entire evening changes before your eyes into a picture of pristine beauty ¦ The journey of title character ¦ in the hands of the writers, Leigh Silverman (direction), and star Sutton Foster, nearly as epic as Show Boat or Les MisĆ©rables ¦ Silverman's rendering should eradicate any lingering doubt that Violet is anything other than one of the great musicals of the last two or three decades ¦ Foster is doing hands-down the best work of her career."
Cititour.com - Highly Recommended
"......if there's any justice in the world, Leigh Silverman's stunningly simple, almost-concertlike staging of Jeanine Tesori and Brian Crawley's moving 1997 musical Violet" will be playing to packed houses every night... [a] glorious score and ultra-human story, sung and acted to perfection by a top-notch cast led by the amazing Sutton Foster in yet another Tony-worthy performance."
TheaterMania - Recommended
"...One of the most unforgettable nights of theater in recent memory was on July 17, 2013, when ¦ Violet was revived for one night only ¦ So why does this Violet feel so different than it did nine months ago? It's certainly not because of the performances. Foster and her Broadway-veteran costars do some of their finest work in this adaptation ¦ Still most impressive, though, is the 13-year-old Steele as Young Violet, who is as much a revelation in her Broadway debut as she was last summer ¦ What's missing from Silverman's full production, though, is the electricity it had on that one hot night last summer. The Broadway version feels listless ¦ it also makes for a very static evening. Still, it is wonderful to see this tale told once again. Despite missing the crucial jolt of energy, Violet is eminently worthy of its position on Broadway, and with Foster giving her deepest performance to date, it would be foolish not to experience this rediscovered gem."
nytheaternow.com - Somewhat Recommended
"......a deliberately modest production. The set, meant to represent a bus station, looks more like a high school auditorium... Tesori's score is a pleasing if unremarkable... a reliably good performance by Sutton Foster and an outstanding vocal performance by Joshua Henry... Such a show I would surely enthusiastically recommend had I not been so much more awed by Tesori's subsequent work; were the top ticket price for Violet ¯ at this non-profit venue not $152; were the themes of the musical not so obvious (beauty and uplift come from within); and were Violet ¯ opening at any time when there were not so many other shows fresher, deeper or more exciting."
Broadway World - Highly Recommended
"......[a]superlative production of Jeanine Tesori and Brian Crawley's underappreciated musical gem... Tesori's captivating mix of bluegrass, gospel, country and period rock receives a rich orchestral treatment... Crawley's lyrics are plainspoken, but deeply empathetic and character-probing... Sutton Foster is that rare above-the-title Broadway star who can match polished musical theatre craft with an approachable everywoman quality... Violet is a small musical of big ideas... This production is not to be missed."
