Overview
Synopsis
A dark twist on the apocryphal story of Susannah and the Elders, Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah is one of the most-performed American operas of all time. Susannah Polk, a wide-eyed and lovely young woman, lives a simple and happy life with her older brother Sam, who raised her. She finds herself viciously ostracized by her small Tennessee mountain village after a group of church elders discover her bathing nude in a secluded stream near her home. Though her intentions were entirely innocent, she is painted as a sinning seductress by the elders, in part to conceal their own lustful feelings, and the entire town turns against her. A visiting preacher, Reverend Olin Blitch, tries to force her into repentance to “save her soul,” but turns out to be far more of a devil than is shown in his evangelistic exterior: He rapes Susannah and discovers all too intimately her innocence. He begs her, and the Lord, for forgiveness, but is shot dead by Sam as revenge for violating his sister. The town descends on Susannah’s house to drive her out of town, but she stands her ground, laughing maniacally as she chases them off with a shotgun, leaving her starkly alone as the curtain falls.
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Context
Carlisle Floyd crafted the music and libretto for Susannah while on the piano faculty of Florida State University. Written during the McCarthy era, the story is based loosely on the apocryphal story of Susannah and the Elders, which has long been a subject for art and music. In this context, however, it also serves as a social commentary on judgment and ostracism. The opera premiered at FSU in 1955, with Phyllis Curtin in the title role, and went on to be produced by multiple companies in
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ACT I
The scene opens on a church square dance in the small Tennessee mountain town of New Hope Valley. Susannah Polk, an 18-year-old girl and the town beauty, is dancing happily while the wives of the four church Elders gossip bitterly about her. The dance is interrupted by the arrival of the Reverend Olin Blitch, an evangelical preacher who has “come to New Hope Valley to cast out devils and conquer sin and bring sinners to repentance.” He takes an interest in Susannah, and the
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Character Portrayals
See StageAgent members who have performed roles in Susannah.
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Songs
Prelude (Orchestra)
Act I
- Scene 1: The New Hope Church (Susannah, Elders, Elders’ Wives, Blitch, Little Bat, Townspeople)
- Scene 2: The Polk House (Susannah, Sam, Little Bat)
- Scene 3: The Stream (Susannah, Elders)
- Scene 4: The New Hope Church (Susannah, Elders, Elders’ Wives, Little Bat, Townspeople)
- Scene 5: The Polk House (Susannah, Little Bat, Sam)
Act II
- Scene 1: The Polk House (Susannah, Sam)
- Scene 2: Inside the New Hope Church (Susannah, Blitch, Elders, Elders’ Wives, Little Bat, Townspeople)
- Scene 3: The Polk House (Susannah, Blitch)
- Scene 4: Inside the New Hope Church (Susannah, Elders, Elders’ Wives, Blitch
- Scene 5: The Polk House (Susannah, Sam, Elders, Elders’ Wives, Little Bat, Townspeople)
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
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