Susannah
After Gershwin’s PORGY AND BESS, Carlisle Floyd’s SUSANNAH is certainly the most performed full-length American opera. (Menotti’s one-act AMAHL AND THE NIGHT VISITORS, no doubt, trumps them both.) Its concise storytelling and attractive folk-inspired melodies make it extremely accessible-- even divorced from the McCarthy Era politics surrounding its 1955 premiere. Student productions and regional opera companies have produced the work repeatedly while major houses, aside from New York City Opera, have largely ignored the work.
SUSANNAH seamlessly weds the Biblical story of Susannah and the Elders with Maugham’s Sadie Thompson and updates the story to Depression Era Appalachia. Susannah is a free-spirited girl who inspires the lust of the Elders of her community and the anger of their gossiping wives. When a new preacher comes to town and decides to tame her, the scene is set for his tragic downfall and the town’s pitiless rejection of the innocent Susannah.
From the first chords sounding in the orchestra pit, it was obvious that Opera Pacific;’s Artistic Director John DeMain takes Floyd’s music seriously. He conducted the score with the same detailed, emotional commitment he brings to Verdi or Strauss. The result was a ravishing and multi-colored musical performance.
Pamela Armstrong, who has sung Mozart for the company, proved to be a strong and sympathetic Susannah. She brought intelligence and a persuasive longing to “Ain’t It a Pretty Night” despite blocking that required her to climb a ladder and clamber onto a roof. Her achingly lyrical rendition of “The Trees on the Mountain” was, thankfully, free of such distractions and her acting overall was clear and convincing. Dean Peterson’s Preacher Blitch got off to a shaky start but quickly recovered his vocal authority. However he lacked a certain charisma and seemed more an amiable traveling salesman than a blood and thunder preacher who can hold entire towns in thrall.
Arnold Rawls proved luxury casting as Susannah’s wayward brother Sam. If he never seemed a credible drunk, he made up for it with his ringing tenor and crystal clear diction. John Easterlin’s voice is, perhaps, a shade overpowering for the character role of Little Bat and the direction pushed his characterization beyond the slow-witted boy in the libretto toward the twitchy and manic. Still, he performed with commitment as did the remaining ensemble.
Harry Silverstein’s direction proved, except for moments like the ladder scramble, to be appropriate and credible. One must applaud Opera Pacific for offering this rare opportunity to see SUSANNAH performed in a professional production.
Orange County Performing Arts Center May 14 – 24
www.operapacific.org