Photo taken by Gabbie Lee / Assistant Photo Editor
REBECCA HALE
Assistant Reverb Editor
Over the weekend, Marvel Theatre was alive with the sounds of opera, as the Hillman Opera presented this year’s musical drama, “Susannah.”
“Susannah” is a work by Carlisle Floyd that is set in 20th century Evangelist America, during the time of McCarthyism.
It follows the life of Susannah, a young and beautiful, but virtuous, woman who lives with her alcoholic brother, Sam. Susannah is oppressed by the other people of the Valley where she lives, and when Susannah refuses to repent for a sin she did not commit, things take a turn for the worse.
The show is emotional, dramatized and musically dynamic.
“It falls in that space between opera and musical,” said Dr. David Rudge, conductor and Music Director of Susannah. “It’s very heartfelt and hard-hitting.”
Students had been hard at work preparing for Susannah since last May, when auditions took place, and have been rehearsing for three hours most nights. The opera itself explores many real-life themes that the actors had striven to perfect.
“The opera was written the 1950s at the height of the McCarthy hearings,” explained Rudge. “It’s intense and deals with hypocrisy — so much so that it is uncomfortable for some. Slander, bullying, injustice, self-righteousness and the loss of innocence are all in the opera, and are as disturbing as they are current.”
The performance featured a relatively simple set, which changed primarily between two scenes: Susannah’s house and the local church.
“If the set was too complicated, it would distract from the story, so it’s exactly the amount of what is needed,” said Margaret Van Norden, senior vocal performance and arts administration major who played Susannah for two of the three performances.
The was double cast, with Van Norden playing Susannah on Friday and Sunday, and Danielle Beckvermit playing the role on Saturday evening. The other roles that were double-cast were the roles of Sam (Dylan Greene, Steve Olick), the Reverend Olin Blitch (Colin Mann, Michael Hawk), and Little Bat McLean (Casey Gray, Alex Kosmowski).
“It’s kind of cool to see. I play it a certain way, and then Danielle plays it a different way, and it’s cool to sit back for a second and watch her do a scene. Everybody’s completely different,” Van Norden said. “It’s just one pendulum and then another pendulum and they’re equally amazing; you get the same effect either way. I’m not going to take everything Danielle does, and she’s not going to take everything I do, but I do enjoy it, and it does give me a time to rest, because the show is very intense and dramatic and emotional, so I don’t necessarily have to be in that emotional state of mind [all the time].”
The issues illustrated in “Susannah” evoked powerful responses within the audience and were meant to make them ponder current and past issues, even long after leaving the theatre.
“It gives the audience, and us as well, a chance to look back on ourselves, and it changes who we are, and that’s what art is: to influence others and influence yourselves,” Van Norden said.
The show featured 31 actors, a live pit of over 40 musicians and 44 people working on the production staff, including producer Julie Newell, stage director Ted Sharon, vocal coach Shinobu Takagi and Chorus Master Matthew Marco.
“It’s been a joy to collaborate with Julie Newell and Ted Sharon, and the cast has been great,” said Rudge. “[They are all] young professionals who have been willing to take risks and grow as singers and actors.”
The Hillman Opera is put on every Fall semester by the Hillman Memorial Music Association, the School of Music and the Department of Theatre and Dance.