The Good Person of Szechwan
"No one can live in this world and remain good." In Bertolt Brecht's "parable," three gods come to Szechwan in search of someone who can. They identify the prostitute Shen Te, but to stay good, she must devise an alter ego, Shui Ta, who isn't, and who subjugates the people. SDSU's opening night has sporadic jitters and persistent sound problems (background music drowning out the songs, actors not projecting). But the Peter Larlham-directed production has worthy features as well. Andrew Hull's set, sliding walls of warped cardboard strips, recalls the Cubist paintings of Georges Braque. Shirley Pierson's costumes reflect the region's poverty and the god's eccentricity (they're more hedonist than holy and refuse to admit flaws in the world they created). Performance skills vary, but Annie Pritchard's Shen Te/Shui Ta is impressive: expert physical and vocal changes make the good person a "slave master." And young Thomas Hodges is on a roll: he composed music for Diversionary's Dear Harvey and some terrific numbers for Good Person, among them "Buy My Water," and "Saint Neverkin's Day."
Worth a try.
When
Ongoing until Sunday, May 3, 2009
Hours
| Sundays, 2pm |
| Fridays, 8pm |
| Saturdays, 8pm |