"A
fine production, with Conway´s assured and focused direction
propelling the
drama over the footlights." The
Stage
Carlisle
Floyd’s Susannah is based
on the
biblical tale of Susanna and the Elders but is set in America’s
remote Appalachia.
It is one of the most remarkable works of American music theatre
– and the most
popular after Porgy and Bess.
With
its heart-wrenching arias, lively square dance numbers, traditional
hymns and
soaring ballads Susannah combines
the
qualities of lyric music theatre and American folk opera to tell the
story of
Susannah Polk, a high spirited young girl who dreams of leaving her
Tennessee
valley home to experience the world beyond the mountains.These innocent dreams are
spoiled when the she
is falsely accused of immorality – and the terrible events of
a hot summer
night change life for everyone in the valley.
A
great opera with all the accessibility of a musical like West Side
Story, and
the narrative of a play like The
Crucible, Susannah is
sure to be a stirring, lyrical evening in the theatre.
