In an unjust world, is it possible to be good? Such is the dilemma posed by The Good Person of Szechwan, Bertolt Brecht’s provocative modern parable about the tensions and alliances between virtue and ruthlessness.
This month, the Performing Arts Department in Arts & Sciences will present The Good Person of Szechwan as its spring MainStage production in Edison Theatre.
Performances will be at 8 p.m. April 16-17; at 2 p.m. April 18; at 8 p.m. April 23-24; and at 2 p.m. April 25.
The Good Person of Szechwan tells the story of Shen Teh (junior Deepti Ramakrishnan), a kindhearted but penniless prostitute who, after everyone else in her village has refused, agrees to take in three weary travelers (Carrie Lewis, Judith Lesser and Daniel Malmberg).
The travelers, however, actually are a trio of gods, who reward Shen Teh’s generosity with 1,000 silver dollars, which she uses to purchase a tobacco shop.
Shen Teh’s newfound wealth, however, brings its own problems, making her a target for all manner of freeloaders. To protect her interests, Shen Teh invents a male alter ego, the hard-nosed, unsparing Shui Ta.
“This is one of Brecht’s masterworks — a brilliant amalgam of musical theater, comedy, drama and politics,” said William Whitaker, senior artist-in-residence, who directs the cast of 27. “In Brecht’s apocalyptic vision, the earth is swarming with ruthless criminals and the desperate poor. The situation is so dire that the gods themselves have come down in search of one good person.
“In such a world, Brecht asks, Is it possible to be good? Is evil somehow necessary in order to do good? His answers are not easy, but they resonate profoundly in our own troubled times.”
Brecht (1898-1956) first conceived of The Good Person of Szechwan in the late 1920s but wrote it primarily between 1939 and 1943, while living in Scandinavia and the United States during years of exile from Nazi Germany.
The play is widely considered a prime example of Brecht’s “Epic Theatre,” a concept he developed in opposition to traditional dramatic theater.
Where dramatic theater appealed to feeling, Epic Theatre, Brecht argued, would appeal to intellect. Where dramatic theater rendered the audience passive, Epic Theatre would rouse them to action.
And indeed, the epilogue to The Good Person of Szechwan explicitly challenges audiences to respond to the play through their actions.
The production also stars sophomore Matt Goldman as Wang the water seller, who narrates much of the action; and senior David Carp as the feckless pilot Yang Sun.
Set design is by senior Alexis Distler. Costumes are by Bonnie Kruger, senior artist-in-residence.
Lighting is by senior Justin Wardell. The production also features original music by Jeffrey Noonan.
Tickets are $12 — $8 for students, senior citizens and WUSTL faculty and staff — and are available through the Edison Theatre Box Office and MetroTix outlets.
For more information, call the Edison Theatre Box Office at 935-6543.
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