Los Angeles Times - Highly Recommended
"...Delicate as a prayer, "Violet" reveals a place where miracles occur - the world as we'd like to see it, where we all are seen for who we are."
Broadway World - Highly Recommended
"...I have been a fan of the productions at the Actors Co-op in Hollywood ever since I started reviewing shows and I can honestly say I have always been thoroughly impressed with the direction, acting, extraordinary scenic and costume design, as well as the overall positive camaraderie of every cast member I have ever spoken with after a performance. So I knew I was in for a treat seeing the Tony-nominated musical VIOLET, and again, my expectations were blown out of the water by the overall excellence of this production, directed with emotional insight by Richard Israel with creative choreography by Julie Hall."
Stage and Cinema - Highly Recommended
"...Tesori's rich songbook is indicative of a Southern bus ride. Employing country, bluegrass, gospel and blues styles, highlights are the oft-reprised "On My Way," led gorgeously by Adams; Bakare's bring-down-the-house "Let It Sing"; and the gospel number "Raise Me Up," belted out by the incomparable Benai Boyd as leader of the televangelist's choir. But highlights are personal, and most Actors Co-op patrons will find their own among the universally strong performances of a stellar songbook."
Stage Scene LA - Highly Recommended
"...Director Richard Israel and a couldn't-be-better cast and design team get everything right in Actors Co-op's soul-reviving intimate staging of Jeanine Tesori and Brian Crawley's New York Drama Critics' Circle-winning 1997 off-Broadway musical Violet."
Night Tinted Glasses - Highly Recommended
"...A word about the ensemble here. I do not exaggerate when calling them excellent, not least because the vast majority play numerous characters, in as wide a range as a little old church lady as well as a pretty hard-boiled prostitute (Lori Berg), a gospel singer and hard-as-nails boarding house owner (Benai Boyd), a bus driver and born again preacher (Kevin Shewey) as well as a slew of others (Emuna Rajkumar, Matthew Podeyn ,Lauren Thompson). Honestly, all these characters breathed, spoke, even (or especially) watched and listened as a series of distinct individuals. That deserves a lot of applause right there."
Stage Raw - Somewhat Recommended
"...It's all heart and occasional soul at the Crossley Theater. Violet, the 2014 Tony nominated musical for best revival by Jeanine Tesori and Brian Crawley, tells an unusual tale about a young woman in search of a miracle. The musical's score is potent and complex, blending gospel, country, blues and honky-tonk, while the book is often too simplistic. Based on the short story "The Ugliest Pilgrim" by Doris Betts, Violet, an ambitious undertaking by the Actors Co-op, receives earnest but uneven treatment."
Haines His Way - Highly Recommended
"...Adams is given great support by Jahmaul Bakare as Flick, a black soldier and Morgan West as Monty, a white soldier. Both men flirt with Violet and vie for her attention during their time together on and off the bus. Bakare especially has a big, booming voice making his solo "Let It Sing" and his duet with Adams, "Hard to Say Goodbye" the show's musical highpoints. Lily Zager is a wonder to watch and hear as young Violet in flashback scenes with her father (John Allsopp) and in her daydreams with the Preacher (Kevin Shewey). Benai Boyd lets her voice soar to the rafters in the big, rousing gospel number, "Raise Me Up." Your spirits will be raised up when you experience Violet. Don't miss it!"
Tin Pan LA - Recommended
"...Unless you're a musical theatre aficionado or follow the work of composer the brilliant composer Jeanine Tesori, you may have never heard of the 2014 musical Violet. But just because show's name isn't familiar, doesn't mean that Violet should be overlooked. Violet may not have the sparkle of a commercial musical that can sustain on the Great White Way, but its story, means of storytelling and country, blues, gospel, honky-tonk score make for a captivating night at the theatre."
Peoples World - Recommended
"...I was eager to see Violet again (opening night, May 11) in a new incarnation, because I believe that its powerhouse score by Jeanine Tesori will be regarded as, and maybe has already become, a modern major musical in the American canon, with much to say about our country and about important life issues. As the composer also of Fun Home, Caroline, or Change, and the new musical Soft Power that opens shortly at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, she is an artist, working with important collaborators (such as, respectively, Alison Bechdel, Tony Kushner and David Henry Hwang), who I feel is making a big difference in our time."
