To what extent is the truth necessary for remembering a loved one after they have passed?  
 
The Empire Arts Center wrestles with the question of truth in their adaptation of “Suddenly Last Summer,” with future performances slated for Feb. 8 to 10 at 7:30 p.m.  
 
Tennessee Williams’ one–act play tells the story of a young socialite, Catherine Holly (Veronica Lee Folkedahl), who is traumatized after witnessing her cousin’s violent death on a trip to Europe. Her aunt, Violet Venable (Nicole E. Quam), wants to hide the events of her son’s death and attempts to bribe young surgeon Dr. John Cukrowicz (Robert Cooper) to perform a lobotomy on Holly.  
 
In an intimate setting, audience members are shored on stage to experience the complex story of a family facing an uncomfortable truth. We find ourselves taken back to the 1930s in New Orleans. With a bright pastel color reflected in the garden of our missing subject, Sebastian.  
 
The show is not for the faint of heart. Tyler Hebert, director for the show, said “though it may contain mature themes of mental illness and censorship of women, it is important to hear.” 
 
It is true that we are far past times where a society can imprison a woman for the things that she says. But during the time the play is written in, it was common for women to be put away, and a family could pacify them with a lobotomy for their “babbles.” Where their experiences could only hold weight while under hypnosis and injected with a cocktail of drugs used as a sort of “truth serum.” 
 
The concept of truth was paramount. Holly, the seeming arbiter of truth, was under constant scrutiny when put against the pure vision of her aunt’s child. But audiences will see that a dark shadow looms over Sebastian’s life, and to her credit, his mother is willing to do anything to keep it under the light of day. 
 
Heart wrenching at times, the performance by Folkedahl was incredible. Emulating the chaotic expressions of Holly, coupled with the intimate environment, left the audience teeming with emotions. Sympathy, a want of hearing her truth, and anger at the injustice for her unfortunate circumstances. At times it seemed Folkedahl embodied a woman suffering for events beyond her control and the anxiety of needing her story told.  
 
Each member played their part and embodied the archetypes presented; Tennessee Williams was known for the symbolism of his work and the lyricism of language employed. Being so close to the actors made it effortless to see the complex relationships and hypocrisy of Sebastian’s family. It was no small feat for the actors who played their roles to a tee.  
 
With more questions than answers and an ending left to interpretation, the audience was left wanting more. Left with unreliable narrators of Sebastian’s story, we can never know for sure which story is accurate, but as a venerable surgeon says, “I think we ought at least to consider the possibility that the girl’s story could be true.”  

Davíd Moreno is a Dakota Student General Reporter. He can be reached at daví[email protected].