The Story of Susanna
Place on List:
III. Period: 1960 - 2009
4. Primary
Texts: Drama
Victoria
Nalani-Kneubuhl.
The Story of Susanna.
(1998)
Supporting References:
- See PDF in same folder: http://doors.doshisha.ac.jp/webopac/bdyview.do?bodyid=BD00004763&elmid=Body&lfname=e07706.pdf
Monday, November 2, 1998
Glenn Kawabata photo
Halfway house administrator Adele (Jodie A. Yamada), center,
tries to find a way to reach patients in her care, such as Molly,
played by Cassandra Wormser, left. At right, the biblical
Daniel (Craig Howes) can only observe their world.
Subplots sap
‘Susanna’s’ strength
By John Berger
Special to the Star-Bulletin
The Story of Susanna: 7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, Kennedy Theatre. Sunday's performance is signed for the hearing impaired. Tickets $3-$12. Call 956-7655
ARTIFICE eclipses plot and theme in "The Story of Susanna" at Kennedy Theatre. Victoria Nalani Kneubuhl's story of a female victim of domestic violence is weighed down by turgid dialogue and extraneous subplots that sap its impact. If this play is intended to address the issue of domestic abuse then cutting it by half will increase its effectiveness exponentially.
Kneubuhl opens with the tale of a biblical-era Jewish woman named Susanna charged with adultery after she refuses the sexual advances of two powerful men. She is seconds away from execution when Daniel intervenes. He quickly proves her innocence.
Kneubuhl's version of the episode ends with Susanna a traumatized paranoid recluse. The fate of the men who violated God's commandments against bearing false witness and coveting thy neighbor's wife isn't mentioned. Oh well.
The narrative slowly shifts to a modern woman named Susanna. The exact decade isn't clear, but modern Susanna learns about makeup, sex and how to talk to boys. She falls for an abusive guy and is apparently shooting up drugs by the end of Act I.
Few practical insights are offered. One bit of dialogue hints that abusers often come from families in which domestic violence occurred. That lead isn't developed. Is Kneubuhl saying that women who wear makeup and heels are more vulnerable to violence than those who don't? If so, why? How might society reduce domestic abuse? Such social issues remain unexplored.
Act II finds traumatized modern Susanna in a halfway house. Her husband died when she caused their car to crash. Several dream scenes starkly convey the lingering impact of abuse.
The focus on domestic violence blurs as Kneubuhl details the experiences of other inmates. One is an activist who was shot by a stranger who disagreed with her views on history; he then convinced the authorities she had been stalking him. A second robbed a man after having sex with him. A third had a nervous breakdown when her child was kidnapped and killed by a stranger. None of this involves domestic abuse or gender-specific violence. (Male activists also risk death and spurious criminal charges, male criminals sometimes chose the wrong victim, and men too may be shattered by the murder of a child.)
Kyra Dybbro Poppler is phenomenal as both Susannas. Craig Howes defines moral strength as Daniel. Natalie Abbott, Athenia E. DeRasmo, Cassandra Wormser and Jodie A. Yamada are modern teens in Act I and halfway house inmates in Act II. Christopher Lee Coddington is chilling as the villain.
Kurt Wurmli (stage design) and Donald J. Ranney (lighting) do great work maximizing the visual experience. Wurmli's set gives director Juli Burk many options when deploying the cast. Ranney's lighting suggests expansiveness in some scenes, constriction in others.
Choreographer Cheryl Flaharty and the Iona Pear Dance Theatre add further dimension to the work. The dancers usually echo the dialogue in some way, but Act I ends with an intense 4-minute number by the dancers alone. How it relates to the plight of either Susanna is left to the viewer's imagination.
John Berger is a free-lance writer for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
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