For half of the show, Jesse Roth hid behind a mustache and pinstriped suit. Her hair was pulled back enough to fool the audience into believing she was a man, until the end of the play, when her pregnant belly protruded out.

Presented by the Syracuse University drama department, “The Good Woman of Setzuan” is a comedy as much as it is a social experiment, challenging the concept of good and evil in complicated situations. From March 28 to April 13, Syracuse Stage is hosting the show.

“The Good Woman of Setzuan” takes place in China, during an unspecified time. While some characters wore traditional Chinese attire, others dressed in modern clothing, essentially creating a surreal environment for the audience. The narrator, in a hoodie, asked everyone to turn off his or her phone while rapping to an impromptu beat.

“The Good Woman of Setzuan” chronicles the story of Shen Te, a struggling prostitute played by Roth. Three gods come down to the city of Setzuan to see if there are any good people still around. Shen Te gladly lets the gods stay with her, but she doesn’t admit her profession until after they spend the night, thanking her for her hospitality. After she tells them her financial situation, they give her money to help pay rent.

When people in the neighborhood begin to take advantage of her kindness, Shen Te creates an alter ego by pretending to be her male cousin, Shui Ta, who handles all of her financial affairs. When she is not pretending to be Shui Ta, she continues her quest to help others.

“I’ve never had a part where I’ve had to be on stage forever, so that was exciting to be part of the play; to take the audience with the cast through the story as the protagonist,” said Roth, a junior acting major.

The characters used every space possible for their piece: each scene contrasted with the others.

“The set design is amazing in a theater this small,” said Elizabeth Tucci, an audience member.

The performers typically played two different characters each, hiding behind strategically placed walls and shades to change costumes. Roth had to switch between characters the most.

Andrew Garrett, a junior acting major and assistant director, played another main character, Yang Sun, Shen Te’s lover. Their most powerful scene together was their initial meeting, where Shen Te stops Yang Sun, an unemployed young pilot, from hanging himself.

Garrett said he was drawn to the style of the play.

“This is an epic theater piece. The playwright wrote it during World War II,” he said.

Shen Te ends up getting pregnant, and although they were engaged, Shen Te, as Shui Ta, realizes Yang Sun really just wants her money. Yang Sun planned to move to Peking to continue his piloting career. Shui Ta, now concealing his stomach, tells everyone that Shen Te ran away, as he tries to figure out what to do.

“She is coming to terms with the fact that she can’t be just good or just bad, that both is in her,” Roth said.

After noticing Shen Te’s disappearance for six months, people grow suspicious of Shui Ta. He is then arrested for being responsible for Shen Te’s disappearance. Meanwhile, the gods come back to Setzuan to see how Shen Te is doing and if she is still good. In court, Shui Ta confesses and admits to really being Shen Te. The gods are then displeased with her as they realize she is no longer good, as she deceived everyone.

The play ends with the narrator agreeing that the ending is unfortunate, and that the audience should write a better ending.

Said Garrett: “What would you do? That’s for me what is so great about the show. I wish more theater did that, make people ask questions.”

Published on March 31, 2014 at 12:08 am

Contact Elaina: ekcrocke@syr.edu