The central character of Violet has seen a whole lot of pain in her life. When she was just a girl back in the North Carolina mountains, her father accidentally hacked her in the face with his ax. Since then, very few people have looked past the scars to see her. Now it's 1964, Violet's a young woman and on her way to meet a televangelist, hoping the preacher will fix her disfigurement. She's traveling on a bus through the still-segregated South and meets up with two soldiers, one white and one black. The musical follows their journey together, each in hopes of a brighter future. Composed by Jeanine Tesori, of Thoroughly Modern Millie fame, the show is "beyond unique," says HITS Artistic Director JoAnne Woodard. Folding country in with blues and rock and roll, the music gives us songs "about hope," says Woodard, "believing in yourself, how what you are on the outside is not always what speaks to people." See Violet 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Through August 16. HITS Theatre, 311 West 18th. For information, call 713-861-7408 or visit www.hitstheatre.org. $15 to $25.
Thu., Aug. 13, 7:30 p.m.; Fri., Aug. 14, 7:30 p.m.; Sat., Aug. 15, 2 & 7:30 p.m.; Sun., Aug. 16, 2 & 7:30 p.m., 2009