Tony Award Winner Levi Kreis joins Roundabout's Violet

Tony Award Winning actor Levi Kreis will join the company of the Roundabout Theatre Company's production of Violet, which is currently playing at the American Airlines Theatre on Broadway. Kreis will join the cast on 1 July 2014, for a six-week limited engagement until 10 August 2014. Violet originally opened on Broadway on 20 April 2014, following previews from 28 March 2014. The production is based on the 2013 New York City Center Encores! Off-Center concert production which starred Sutton Foster and was directed by Leigh Silverman.

Levi Kreis will take over the role of 'The Preacher' from Ben Davis, who will play his final performance on Sunday 29 June 2014. Kreis made his Broadway debut originating the role of Jerry Lee Lewis in 'Million Dollar Quartet' for which he received the 2010 Tony Award. Other theatre credits include 'Smokey Joe's Cafe', 'The Leading Men Of Broadway', 'One Red Flower', and 'Rent'. His film credits include 'Frailty', 'Don't Let Go', 'A Thousand Words' and 'Silencers'.

He will join the current cast of the production, which includes Sutton Foster, Annie Golden, Emerson Steele, Austin Lesch, Anastasia McCleskey, Charlie Pollock, Jacob Keith Watson, Rema Webb and Virginia Ann Woodruff.

Violet is based on the short story "The Ugliest Pilgrim" by Doris Betts and features music by Jeanine Tesori, book & lyrics by Brian Crawley and direction by Leigh Silverman. It is produced in association with Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino, David Mirvish, Barry and Fran Weissler, Elizabeth Armstrong, and Mary Jo and Ted Shen. The production opened to excellent reviews and received four 2014 Tony Award nominations, including Best Revival, Best Director and Best Leading Actress. "A Terrific, heart-stirring revival" (NYTimes); "Purrs from start to finish" (NY Daily News); "Bursts with life and energy, humor and tenderness" (NYPost).

The creative team for the production includes Jeffrey Page (Choreographer), Rick Bassett, Joseph Joubert and Buryl Red (Orchestrations) and Michael Rafter (Music Director). The design team includes David Zinn (Sets), Clint Ramos (Costumes), Mark Barton (Lights) and Leon Rothenberg (Sound).

The musical tells the story of a young woman's quest for beauty amidst the image-obsessed landscape of the 1960s. Facially disfigured in a childhood accident, Violet (Foster) dreams of a miraculous transformation through the power of faith, leading her to begin the journey of a lifetime on a Greyhound bus. It originally opened off-Broadway for a limited run at Playwrights Horizons on 11 March 1997 and won the Obie Award, Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Musical and the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Musical.

- by Dom O'Hanlon