Content warning: this review contains mentions of sexual assault.
The Loyola Opera Theatre performed “Susannah” recently, and it was the first full length opera production I’ve ever attended. For me, it was a new way to see the kind of talent that lives at Loyola.
An interesting choice was made for the casting of this production, which I’ve never experienced from a Loyola production before. Every character was played by a current Loyola student, except for Reverend Olin Blitch, who was played by Matthew Curran, a Loyola ‘97 alum.
“Susannah” was written by Carlisle Floyd, and debuted at Florida State University in 1955. “Susannah” takes place in the fictional town of New Hope Valley, Tennessee. The story opens in the middle of a community square dance. This is where we meet our main character Susannah, played by Faith Adams, who is instantly singled out as a flirt.
This immediate characterization sets the stage for the central conflict of the story: Susannah is caught bathing in a creek by the church elders when they go looking for a new baptism spot. Rather than the church elders acknowledging their desire for Susannah, they claim she purposefully tried to seduce them. This is when Susannah’s personality, who was a kind, young woman full of dreams and ambitions, shifts in the story. She becomes resigned and completely forgets about her dream to leave New Hope Valley. I feel like this kind of thing would motivate her more to leave, wouldn’t it? Unfortunately it does not. So, she stays and resigns to her fate, rather than getting out of there.
In Act II, Susannah is continuously pressured to make a public confession of her sins, even though she is completely innocent. The character that is heavily pushing this confession is Reverend Blitch and after a tense conversation, he pressures Susannah to sleep with him. By exploiting his position in the community, his perceived “connection” to God, and the age difference between them, Susannah succumbs to his forceful desire.
Throughout the story, Susannah is targeted because of the desire the men in her community feel for her. Even when it culminates in sexual assault, she is still blamed for the incident. Furthermore, after Susannah’s brother kills the Reverend Blitch for his actions towards Susannah, her life does not change.
It disappointed me that Susannah was not able to play an active role in her own revenge. Blitch is shot in the creek where Susannah was initially caught bathing. By writing Susannah as the person to kill the man who took her innocence in the creek where it was stolen from her, the ending would have been more impactful. Instead, she is forced to defend herself and her brother’s choices from the townspeople. She is transformed into a character with no ambition, no desires, and is resigned to the will of the men around her.
Even with the phenomenal singing and convincing performances from the cast, the plot did not strike me as particularly meaningful, and is definitely a product of its time. While I understand that the whole point is that Susannah is innocent and set up to be the scapegoat in this fabricated witch hunt, I do not think that the sexual assault was used meaningfully.
Sexual assault is often used as a shortcut for character development, or to make the conflict in a story more dramatic. “Susannah” is guilty of this kind of writing. After Susannah’s assault, the story does not take time to truly acknowledge the kind of abuse she has experienced through the 2.5 hour production, only using it to develop Blitch’s character by showing his guilt. The opera’s ending, which leaves Susannah in the same old house, in the same small town, and severely more traumatized, was profoundly disappointing, to say the least.
