The Milwaukee Post

April 14, 2017 • Milwaukee County Post • 15 ENTERTAINMENT By JULIE MCHALE Post Theater Critic MILWAUKEE — As I wit- nessed "The Violet Hour," I was impressed with its broad appeal and the pletho- ra of elements woven into several subplots. The through-line is publishing — what people choose to put out there for all the world to see, if it cares enough to look. The main character, John (Neil Brookshire), has bor- rowed seed money from his father in order to start his own publishing business. When we meet him, he is surrounded and plagued by lots of blank paper, a frus- trated assistant, Gidger (David Flores), and some key decisions to make. Should he publish his col- lege buddy Denis' (Nicolas Harazin) first sprawling novel, for which he hopes to gain the money to convince his rich girlfriend's father to unleash her (Cara Johnston), or should he go with the soul-searching memoir of his clandestine black lover Jessie (Marti Gobel)? In either case, it's a risk. In the time frame of this play, the early 20th century, certain types of relation- ships are still quite unac- ceptable. These are tough decisions for John to make as he is financially strapped and personally involved with both parties. He knows he's got to have a "hit" to stay in business. He is torn between personal loyalty and practical considera- tions. Throw into this already complicated mix a third, totally unexpected, inexpli- cable factor — the sudden appearance of a machine that is spitting out publica- tions from a century later, material that will reveal what the world will look like in the future and even how their own personal lives will unfold. Only John, Gidger and Rosamond are privy to this information. How will knowledge of the future affect their present? Along the way, we are treated with a lot of humor, most of it provided by Gidger, so beautifully ren- dered by the incomparable and always reliable Flores, and we are moved by the thrill of passionate love, the disappointments that often set in as time passes, the fear of not making a differ- ence and the general unpre- dictability of life itself. The script is clever, at times philosophic and poet- ic. In the passage about "the violet hour," I was remind- ed of Emily Dickinson's poem with the line "There's a certain slant of light." The lighting design by Noele Stollmack is very effective for enhancing the mood of certain scenes. Also the costume choices by Jason Orlenko add a lot of flavor. There is something for everyone in this production — comedy, drama and fanta- sy — all of which work amazingly well together and certainly keep us engaged throughout. Director Suzan Fete deserves commendation for putting all the elements together so effectively. On the cusp of its 25th anniversary, Renaissance Theaterworks has proven its appeal to theatergoers with its wise choices and its quality productions. It cele- brates women and always finds works with meaning- ful roles for them. May they live for another 25. Its founders — Marie Kohler, Jennifer Rupp, Susan Fete, Raeleen McMillion and Michele Traband — deserve com- mendation, along with Julie Swenson, who joined them in 1997 and became produc- ing director in 2001. Her contributions are also wor- thy of special mention. Join them all for their intriguing last seasonal production, "The Violet Hour." "The Violet Hour" The play runs through April 30 in the Studio Theatre in the Broadway Theatre Center, 159 N. Broadway, Milwaukee. Call 414-291- 7800 or visit renais- sancetheaterworks.com. At a glance 'Violet Hour' shines light on publishing, morality, ethics Comedy, drama, fantasy add up to another Renaissance hit From left, Marti Gobel, Neil Brookshire, David Flores, Nicholas Harazin and Cara Johnston in "The Violet Hour." Ross E. Zentner Marti Gobel as Jessie, left, and Cara Johnston as Rosamund share a tense moment in "The Violet Hour." Ross E. Zentner

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