Susannah
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Armstrong
Photo by Opera Pacific
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By Michael Van Duzer
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 is obvious that Opera Pacific's Artistic Director John DeMain takes Floyd’s music seriously. He conducts the score with the same detailed, emotional commitment he brings to Verdi or Strauss. The result is a ravishing and multi-colored musical performance.
Pamela Armstrong, who has sung Mozart for the company, proves to be a strong and sympathetic Susannah. She brings intelligence and a persuasive longing to “Ain’t It a Pretty Night” despite blocking that requires her to climb a ladder and clamber onto a roof. Her achingly lyrical rendition of “The Trees on the Mountain” is, thankfully, free of such distractions, and her acting overall is clear and convincing. Dean Peterson’s Preacher Blitch gets off to a shaky start but quickly recovers his vocal authority. He, however, lacks a certain charisma and seems more an amiable traveling salesman than a blood and thunder preacher who can hold entire towns in thrall.
Arnold Rawls proves luxury casting as Susannah’s wayward brother Sam. If he never seems a credible drunk, he makes 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 pushes his characterization beyond the slow-witted boy in the libretto toward the twitchy and manic. Still, he performs with commitment as does the remaining ensemble.
Harry Silverstein’s direction proves, 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
800 34 OPERA
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