Joshua Henry, Keala Settle, Christopher Sieber & More Join Sutton Foster in Encores! Violet

Tony nominee Joshua Henry will play Sutton Foster’s forbidden love Flick in Encores!' one-night-only presentation of Violet. The Leigh Silverman-helmed musical will also feature Tony nominees Keala Settle and Christopher Sieber in various roles. Violet plays New York City Center on July 17.

Based on The Ugliest Pilgrim by Doris Betts, Violet is set in the deep South of 1964 and concerns the relationship between a physically scarred young white woman (Foster) and a young black soldier (Henry). Violet premiered at Playwrights Horizons in 1997 with a cast led by Matilda Tony nominee Lauren Ward.

In addition to Foster, Henry, Settle and Sieber, Violet will feature Van Hughes (American Idiot) as Monty, Chris Sullivan (Nice Work If You Can Get It) as Father, Emerson Steele as Young Violet and Austin Lesch (Billy Elliot), Anastacia McCleskey (Priscilla Queen of the Desert), Rema Webb (The Lion King) and Paul Whitty (Once). The evening will also include the gospel choir Songs of Solomon under the musical direction of Michael Rafter.

Henry has appeared in Encores! productions of Cotton Club Parade and The Wiz. His Broadway credits include The Scottsboro Boys (Tony nomination), Porgy and Bess and American Idiot. Settle scored a Tony nom this season for her work in the short-lived musical Hands on a Hardbody; her additional credits include Priscilla Queen of the Desert, South Pacific and Hairspray. Sieber is a two-time Tony nominee for Spamalot and Shrek. He also appeared on Broadway in Chicago, La Cage aux Folles, Into the Woods, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Beauty and the Beast and Triumph of Love.

In addition to Violet, Encores' Off-Center summer presentations will include The Cradle Will Rock (July 10-13) and I'm Getting My Act Together and Taking It on the Road (July 24-27).