Photo Flash: First Look at Kaisa Hammarlund and the Cast of VIOLET

VIOLET, a multi award-winning musical with Music by Jeanine Tesori (Tony Award winner for Best Original Score with Lisa Kron for Fun Home, and Tony-nominated for Caroline, or Change and Shrek the Musical), and Book & Lyrics by Brian Crawley (The Little Princess), is to get its UK premiere in a 12-week season to Saturday 6 April in an international co-production that will see it transfer to Tokyo

Kaisa Hammarlund (Violet) has just played Alison Bechdel in the acclaimed UK premiere of Fun Home at the Young Vic. Her other major roles include Charity Hope Valentine in Sweet Charity, Royal Exchange Theatre, Petra, A Little Night Music, Menier Chocolate Factory & Garrick
Theatre, and Elle Woods, Legally Blonde, Nöjesteatern, Malmö Sweden.

Jay Marsh (Flick) was Schultz/1st cover John in Miss Saigon, Gregory Piven, Sunny Afternoon, Sammy Davis Jr, Christmas With The Rat Pack, 1st cover Porgy in Porgy & Bess, Regent's Park Open Air Theatre).

Matthew Harvey (Monty) was Francis in Loserville at the Union Theatre.

The cast also features Simbi Akande, Angelica Allen, Kenneth Avery-Clark, Keiron Crook, James Gant, Danny Michaels, Janet Mooney with Amy Mepham, Rebecca Nardin and Maddie Sellman as young Violet.

1964. Somewhere between North Carolina and Oklahoma, we find Violet, a young woman who was facially disfigured as a child. She hopes her life savings will bring her a miracle halfway across the country. Reflecting on her childhood, and shaped by the reactions of the people she encounters, Violet embarks on a life-changing personal journey.

VIOLET, based on the short story The Ugliest Pilgrim by Doris Betts, premiered Off-Broadway and won the Drama Critics' Circle Award and Lucille Lortel Award as Best Musical, before transferring to Broadway where it was nominated for four Tony awards.

Creative team: Directed by Shuntaro Fujita, Choreography by Cressida Carré, Set Design by Morgan Large, Costume by Jonathan Lipman, Lighting by Howard Hudson, Sound by Andrew Johnson, Music Director Dan Jackson, Associate Music Director Chris Ma. Associate Director Abigail Pickard-Price Production Supervisior Thom Southerland.

Producers: Steven M. Levy and Vaughan Williams for Charing Cross Theatre Productions Limited in a co-production with Umeda Arts Theater Co, Ltd., Osaka, Japan

Performed by arrangement with Music Theatre International (Europe) Limited.

Photo Credit: Scott Rylander