Good Woman of Setzuan
You are in for a rare theatrical treat when you stop by Open Fist’s production of Bertolt Brecht’s The Good Woman of Setzuan. It is as provocative as it is well crafted. Brecht’s timeless examination of self-interest and greed imbedded in the financial system seems more timely than ever as we presently struggle through a bewildering economic collapse.
Fashioned as a mythical fable, Brecht supplies a trio of well-meaning but spiritually bankrupt gods who struggle to keep the world intact through their search for a good person. Shen Te (Lauren Lovett), an impoverished prostitute, seems to foot the bill. The gods reward her generous nature with money to help her out of her destitution with which she purchases a tobacco shop. Her good fortune could lift her out of poverty, but for the swarm of hangers-on the shop attracts. Soon She Te is weighted down by the responsibilities of others. She invents an alter ego, her cousin Shui Ta, who must clear out the parasites. When they suspect that Shui Ta has murdered the good Shen Te, a trial reveals the truth. But we the audience are left to ponder whether a good person can really operate in the world as it is constituted. Rather than offering a prescription, Brecht accepts both the world as it is, and human nature, too. But then he asks us to solve the dichotomy anyway.
This production, executed with precision by director Charles Otte, satisfies all the mandates that Brecht set forth when he formulated the Alienation Effect. Trouble is, these techniques are now so much a part of the theatrical vocabulary, they seem quite normalized. Shen Te was written to be a dispassionate commentator but Lovett’s engaging performance strikes a sympathetic chord. She is equally effective as the masked Shui Ta. Her large supporting cast paints their characterizations with broad strokes. Among them, Michael Franco is lively as the Water carrier, Wong; Beth Robbins as Mrs. Shin bustles about; Jan Monroe’s Shu Fu is delightful and Benny Wills’ Yang Sun is appropriately weak-willed and opportunistic. The three gods are marvelous, especially Katherine Griffith as a Mother Theresa type.
The spectacle onstage belies the 99-seat budget, with functional setting (by Richard Hoover) lavish and colorful costumes (by Christina Wright), expressionistic make-up (the cast), and kaleidoscopic stage movement aided by Jan Munroe, Michael Franco and Becca Cousineau (for the Tango). Best of all, Elizabeth Swados’ musical compositions (performed an ensemble lead by musical director, Dean Mora) interject the right dissonance to lend a vaguely Oriental tinge to the performance.
The enthusiasm found in this gifted company is infectious, as evidenced by the lively apre-performance discussions generated by the play.
PHOTO Caption: William B. Jackson (Grandfather), Jordana Berliner (The Wife), Ehrin Marlow (The Husband), Hannah Pierce (The Sister-in-Law), Derrick Smith (The Brother), and Becca Cousineau (The Nephew) play the relatives who descend upon Shen Te when she opens her shop.
Good Woman of Setzuan performs on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 7 p.m. through July 17th at 8.00 P.M at the Open Fist Theatre, 6209 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90038. Tickets are $25.00 and $20.00 for seniors and students. Buy online at www.openfist.org, or phone (323)882-6912.