Houston Grand Opera presents Carlisle Floyd's Susannah, with Angel Blue as Susannah, in a new staging by Patricia Racette.
Houston Grand Opera opens its season with Carlisle Floyd's Susannah, running at the Wortham Theater Center from October 23 through November 8. It's a new staging by Patricia Racette, who's a soprano turned director, and it marks the first return to the podium for HGO's Music Director Designate, James Gaffigan.
Susannah is a deeply American opera, set in the hills of Tennessee. The story follows a young woman whose life is shattered after church elders see her bathing in a creek—a moment that unleashes a wave of cruel gossip, judgment, and a harrowing assault. Floyd, who was a minister's son, wrote the libretto in a colorful regional dialect and built the score from revival hymns and Appalachian folksong. It's sung in English, with English text projected on screen, so you'll follow every word of the dialogue.
Angel Blue takes the title role, and she's joined by baritone Rod Gilfry as Reverend Olin Blitch, tenor Bille Bruley as Sam, and tenor Aaron Blake as Little Bat. The production runs two hours and five minutes, including one intermission. HGO is one of the largest and most acclaimed companies in the country, with 76 world premieres to date and the only one to win a Tony, three GRAMMYs, and three Emmys.
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There are five performances to choose from: Friday, October 23 at 7 PM; Sunday, October 25 at 2 PM; Saturday, October 31 at 7:30 PM; Friday, November 6 at 7:30 PM, which is an Under 40 Friday; and Sunday, November 8 at 2 PM, a Military Appreciation Day. Tickets range from $25 to $210, and the Wortham is at 501 Texas Ave. in downtown Houston.
