‘Susannah’ storms the Musical Arts Center this weekend

An intense exploration of hypocrisy, false accusation and the consequences of both will take place this weekend at the Musical Arts Center. Carlisle Floyd’s “Susannah,” the most-performed American opera, opens at 8 p.m. Friday. It is the second production of the IU Opera Theater’s 2007-08 season. \nSet in the hills of Appalachia, in a Tennessee town marked by intolerance and ignorance, the opera tells the story of a young woman named Susannah Polk who is found bathing in a local creek. After being accused of promiscuity and immorality, she is ostracized and denounced by the townspeople, who insist she confess her sins. Her brother, Sam Polk, tries to save her good name, especially after learning that a traveling preacher named Olin Blitch may have taken advantage of her, but he ends up being too late. \nIt is said that Floyd wrote “Susannah” in response to McCarthyism, and though the opera was written in the 1950s, it still resonates with audiences today, said guest maestro Steven Smith, who is conducting his first IU opera. \n“Its subject matter continues to be relevant, as it deals with hypocrisy, denunciation based on rumor and the destruction of a human being,” Smith said. “It remains very potent today, when we have situations not just in our own country, but all over the world.” \nMark Van Arsdale, who plays Sam Polk in this weekend’s cast, echoed Smith’s sentiment, saying that the play is particularly pertinent to a college campus, where rumors sometimes start without any regard for the consequences.\n“One of the saddest morals at the end of the play is that it really doesn’t matter what you’ve actually done, it matters what people think you’ve done,” Van Arsdale said. “That’s what becomes the most damaging thing.”\nDirector Michael Ehrman has set “Susannah” in the 1930s, with costumes that are traditional of the time period, and a set that is minimalist, but flexible, Smith said. The music, sung in English, is written in a Appalachian dialect, which Floyd, a southerner himself, deliberately wanted to explore with opera. Though the exaggerated speech could have turned the opera into a campy production, Smith said that this is not the case \nwith “Susannah.”\n“Although Floyd really infuses scenes with Appalachian dialect, he doesn’t go beyond that,” he said. “He found a real middle ground in terms of retaining this sense of place by dialect with the comprehension on the part of the audience.” \nBoth Smith and Van Arsdale said that the score mirrors the plot well, and that many different musical styles come into play. The opera is short, clocking in at two hours with a 15-minute intermission. Van Arsdale said this is just one reason “Susannah” should appeal to a college audience.\n“The show is very accessible,” he said. “The characters are real ... everyone is multidimensional, full-blooded, realistic. I think it makes for a very entertaining opera that really grips you.”\n“Susannah” will show Friday and Saturday, and Oct. 26-27 at the Musical Arts Center. Tickets are $12 for students, $25 for adults, and can be purchased at the IU Auditorium or through Ticketmaster. For more information visit www.music.indiana.edu/opera.