Washington Classical Review

Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah is being presented at Shakespeare Opera Theatre. Photo: SOT

Shakespeare Opera Theatre opened its summer season with a production of Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah Friday night at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in McLean, Virginia.  

Premiered in 1955, Susannah is an updated take on the apocryphal Biblical tale of Susanna and the Elders, here set in rural Tennessee. Susannah is a young woman in a deeply religious town and the object of jealousy by many of the Elders’ wives. When the male Elders see her bathing in a creek, the entire town shuns her, deeming her as indecent. The town’s preacher, Reverend Olin Blitch, first seems to want to save Susannah’s soul, then violates her, which leads Susannah’s protective brother, Sam, to take matters into his own hands. The theme of religious hypocrisy is manifest throughout the work (as it is in Kirk Mechem’s Tartuffe, which the company is running concurrently). 

The title role was masterfully performed by Kristine Overman, whose Susannah was captivating, sung with a colorful, shimmering sound throughout. The role is challenging due to its speech-like writing that can quickly span the extremes of the vocal range, and Overman navigated this with ease, featuring boldness in the middle and low parts of her voice and a pure, sparkling top. 

While Susannah’s first aria, “Ain’t It a Pretty Night,” felt slightly rushed, her second, “The Trees on the Mountain,” was sung with elegance, vulnerability, and nuance. Dramatically, Overman produced an ideal characterization of the role, with cheerfulness at the beginning of the opera, a freeze response in the most traumatic moment, and a dead look in her eyes after she had been pushed past her breaking point.

Nico Caruso performed the character of Sam, Susannah’s brother, with warmth, darkness, and complexity. Caruso’s lilting tenor voice showcased his honest, heartfelt singing, an excellent legato, and a wide dynamic range. Caruso possesses a natural stage presence, and brought a magnetic big-brother energy to the role. He encompassed all the varied sides of the character: from gentle and kind to angry and desperate.

James Myers sang the role of Reverend Olin Blitch with a commanding, serious demeanor, statue-like character, and excellent phrasing and musicality, though he struggled with the lower pitches of the bass-baritone role. Myers’ strongest dramatic moment was Rev. Blitch’s calculated decision to seduce Susannah. Facing the audience, his eyes turned from concern for Susannah to cold, pointed manipulation.

The nefarious qualities of the Reverend’s character were well contrasted by the purity and innocence of Little Bat, performed by Kurt Lannetti. Lannetti’s Little Bat displayed sensitive acting and a charming demeanor, but his singing leaned more towards musical theater than opera, and there were clear moments of challenge in the higher parts of the role

Lili Scalisi, who played Mrs. McLean, had a solid sound with clear diction, but could have been more impactful dramatically. Anthony Zwerdling performed a strong Elder McLean with a fine baritone voice. 

The ensemble singing was well executed throughout the entire opera, with the treble voices outshining the lower voices at first. The opening scene, a quartet of the Elders’ wives, displayed excellent vocalism and clear, consistent diction. Overall, the ensemble achieved a nice balance by the middle of the show, and had solid intonation throughout, even in the more challenging dissonant parts. Elder Hayes, performed by JP Paul, stood out with a shining, piercing tenor, perfect for when the Elders discovered Susannah bathing in the crick.

The stage direction by Lori Lind was clever and thoughtful, with creative use of the church venue.  The all-purpose room was set in a charming style with dark tablecloths and warm mood lighting, and the ensemble would often surround the audience, which was particularly effective when the townspeople rejected Susannah from the community, as it created a trapped, suffocating feeling. 

The Overture showed a specific side of Sam: selling moonshine to townspeople from his front porch. The use of the rocking chair and the frying pan in Susannah and Sam’s sweet duet, Jaybird, was playful and fun, and details like Susannah and Sam doing laundry together during one of their more serious conversations added a layer of realism to the piece.

The performance was presented sans orchestra with Andrew Kraus as the competent pianist and “conductor.”

Shakespeare Opera Theatre’s double-cast production of Susannah runs through July 19. Kirke Mechem’s Tartuffe opens Saturday and runs through July 17. shakespeareoperatheatre.com