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Gina Virgallito and Mark Nathan in Stage Left Theatre's production of The Good Woman of Setzuan. Photo: Johnny Knight.
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The Good Woman of Setzuan
by Bertolt Brecht
translation by Eric Bentley
directed by David M. Schmitz
April 26 through May 25, 2002
Stage Left Theatre
3408 N. Sheffield Ave.
Chicago, Illinois 60614
Box office: (773) 883-8830
http://www.stagelefttheatre.com
Stage Left Theatre's production of The Good Woman of Setzuan by Bertolt Brecht is an earnest, engaging, and entertaining epic theatre romp. Brecht's 1940 classic is a perfect ideological and dramaturgical match for this small theatre company, which is the self-proclaimed "only theatre in Chicago dedicated to producing plays that raise the level of debate on social and political issues." The subject of The Good Woman of Setzuan, the very human struggle to be good in a mean capitalist society, is certainly one of these issues. Stage Left conveys Brecht's social message through the devices of the epic theatre -- an eleven-member, multi-ethnic ensemble, music and songs, masks and presentational costumes, and a multi-level set that is all artifice, with disbelief unsuspended. But, as directed by David M. Schmitz, this lively production balances the didacticism with empathy and feeling.
Brecht wrote The Good Woman of Setzuan in Denmark, in the same place and during the same period as Mother Courage [1939] and Galileo [1938]. The Good Woman of Setzuan is a parable set in modern China. Three gods come to earth to find a good person. The only viable candidate is a young female prostitute, Shen Te. The gods give this good human being money to open a tobacco shop and an admonition to remain "good." Shen Te's money lures many suppliants from among her neighbors and extended family, and a selfish lover, who leaves her with child. In her new position in society, Shen Te discovers she cannot be charitable and good as well as a successful capitalist. "No one can be good for long if goodness is not in demand" (First God). She invents a ruthless business-savvy male cousin, Shui Ta, to fend off the parasites and make the hard business decisions. When it seems that Shen Te, the Angel of the slums, has disappeared, the mean Shui Ta is suspected of harming her and is placed on trial. Shen Te reveals her duplicity and explains her dilemma: "All I have done I did, To help my Neighbor, To love my lover, And to keep my little one from want. To let no one perish, not even oneself, To fill everyone with happiness, even oneself is so good." The epilogue of the play urges the audience to solve this dilemma: how can human beings -- who are moral and good by nature -- justify the evils of capitalism if these evils are necessary for this system to survive?
Stage Left's production of The Good Woman of Setzuan delicately balances Brecht's intellectual estrangement with empathy and compassion through its inventive use of some familiar epic theatre devices. Robert G. Smith's multi-level set, with walls festooned with ideograms and masks, is functional and presentational. As the episodes of the parable are presented, the same space is transformed from Shen Te's tobacco shop, to platforms for the gods, to a sewer for the water seller, to a courtroom. These transitions occur to the jarring rhythm of Rebecca Barrett's lighting design with the denizens of the light booth in plain sight. This is pretty typical Brecht fare, but for the fact that the audience is within and surrounding the staging of the action. This proximity results in Brechtian estrangement -- the audience definitely realizes the theatricality of the production and is able to reflect on the message of the parable. But, ironically, being part of the action also evokes empathy for the plight of Shen Te, and all human beings.
Another familiar, almost hackneyed, device of the Brecht epic theatre is the use of music and Kurt Weill-esque songs -- which interrupt the dramatic action and therefore the identification of the audience with the characters -- played by musicians visible to the audience. In this Stage Left production, the music itself seems new. "Ed Reardon has composed some amazing music for the show. He calls it 'post-avant garde,' and I think that title fits well. We're using instruments which are not typically found in musical theatre. We have a piano, but only the strings and frame. We are using guitars and some glass bottles, pipes, wooden wind chimes, etc. The whole concept for the music is that it's reflective of the universality of the play. . . . The score for the original production was composed in the 1940s. We have a different mentality now than we did sixty years ago, and I felt that need to be reflected in the music." ("Interview with Good Woman Director, David M. Schmitz," Stage Left Theatre, Vol 20, Issue III (April 2002), p. 2.)
Masks are a commonplace epic theatre device used in most productions of The Good Woman of Setzuan. A mask is an essential part of the costume for the transformation of Shen Te to Shui Ta. As with the original music, this Stage Left production employs masks in an innovative manner that results in more estrangement from the action, but more compassion for Shen Te. "We are masking all of the characters except Shen Te. A typical production of this show uses a mask for the Shui Ta character only. I wanted to explore the similarity of Shui Ta to the rest of the characters in this world, and the differences of Shen Te from them." ("Interview with Good Woman Director, David M. Schmitz," p. 2.) The masks, which allow the eleven-member ensemble to perform the almost thirty roles in the play, also result in an acting style that focuses on the "geste" of the acting and not the actors' identifying with their characters. The delivery of the masked characters is declamatory, calculated, and incisive. This ensemble clearly understands the social issues of the play as does Santosha Chantal, whose mask designs are quite brilliant. The masks are perfectly complemented by the costumes of Sandra Verthein and Randall Leurquin. Whereas the masks are whimsical and idiosyncratic, i.e. eyeglasses on the bridge of the nose, the costumes have the timelessness of resale shop fashions, complete with flip flops. In their singularity, the characters are unlike the audience; in their universality, they are like the audience that surrounds them as they perform. Only Gina Virgallito as Shen Te is unmasked. With her clear soprano voice and her wide-eyed desperation, she is the quintessential good and decent person. It is impossible not to feel compassion for her plight. Ms. Virgallito also delivers a chilling portrayal of the callous Shui Ta. It is impossible not to admire his shrewdness in the capitalist society, while abhorring his cruelty. Therein lies the human dilemma. All of the members of the ensemble perform Brecht's parable play with irresistible sincerity and a boundless energy -- the bag toss scene is especially frenetic, but wonderfully choreographed. The Stage Left production of The Good Woman of Setzuan is not only wonderful epic theatre; it is also simply entertaining.
The Good Woman of Setzuan. Bertolt Brecht's play is directed by David M. Schmitz from Eric Bentley's translation. Stage Left Theatre, 3408 N. Sheffield, 773-883-8830. Previews April 12-15: Friday, Saturday, and Monday, 8 PM. $10. Opens Tuesday, April 16, 7 PM. Through May 25:
Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 PM; Sundays, 3 PM. $15-20; $35 for the benefit show on Saturday, April 20 (includes preshow buffet and postshow dessert and speaker); industry nights Thursday, April 18 and 25.
--Sandra Marie Lee
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