The Violet Hour : A Play

Rating:
Summary: A Fantastic Exercise in Historical Revelation...
Review: Not only is this play a phenomenal read; not only is this play hysterically funny; not only is this play remarkably smart, but also it is an essential look at what it's like to be young at the 'twilight' of a new age in western civilization. Often, great intimate, character-driven drama has strong epic underpinnings. In 'The Violet Hour,' the intimacy grows out of how John Seavering deals with the hugeness of the century that stands before him, laid out on paper before its time, in 1919. Informed by the two World Wars, the civil rights movement, the tyrannical inflation of political correctness and every other major event of the 20th century, 'The Violet Hour' simultaneously stands in awe of the sheer force of history and surrenders to it. There is no real plot to speak of, since most of the important events in the play happen decades after the story ends. John, his friend Denis, Denis' lover Rosamund, John's lover Jessie and the phenomenally funny Gidger (like 'Prince,' or 'Madonna,' or 'Cher,' only one name), come to embody all that will happen over the next 81 years. This play is so rich in history that I'm gonna need another couple of days to really absorb it, but wow, what a read.

Rating:
Summary: A Gorgeous Read . . .
Review: The Violet Hour reads like a novel, forcing one to turn page after page, racing to the end of the play. As the production assistant on the Manhattan Theatre Club staging of the show, I've lived with the text for a long time. Ever since I first read the script, I've been advising my friends to buy it as soon as it is published.

John Pace Seavering, a wealthy Princeton graduate, wishes to become a publisher. He must decide between two manuscripts for his first venture: his best friend from college's sprawling masterpiece, or his older black lover's compelling memoir. Suddenly a machine arrives at his office . . . spewing out pages from academic books of the future, detailing the devistating results of his choice. What will his decision be? Can he alter the future? How can he use his power at all, in the face of the alleged facts?

This play soars on the page, and I highly recommend it.