At the Bushnell now through June 13, 2010
www.bushnell.org
Audiences around the world have thrilled to Gershwin’s music, the singing, the story, the unforgettable characters, and for only one week, the outstanding 75th Anniversary production of Porgy and Bess is playing at the Bushnell through June 13.
Because Porgy and Bess is an American story, sung in English (with the lyrics projected on a screen), it can be an ideal introduction to this art form championed by 125 U.S.A. opera companies (more than in Germany or Italy). According to a 2007 statistic, as many Americans attend live opera performances as attend NFL football games.
Perhaps those who think opera is geared to please only stuffed shirts are not familiar with the love story of Porgy and Bess, praised as America’s greatest opera. A sung story is not everyone’s cup of tea, including the frenetic Tommy and the emotional Jesus Christ Superstar. Those who saw the movie Moonstruck know how transformed Cher was by La Boheme on an opera date with Nicholas Cage at the Metropolitan; and in Pretty Woman, Richard Gere flew Julia Roberts to the San Francisco Opera House where she was moved to tears by Madama Butterfly. Okay, so those are movies; nevertheless, they represent the effect opera has on legions of opera fans.
When the opera begins, the overture is abbreviated. There is much to absorb starting with the mood suggested by the hanging Spanish moss – heat, humidity – that frames the proscenium arch, and the two dancers who appear at center stage and gradually are joined by others until the stage is alive with the residents of Catfish Row, a ghetto, where livelihoods are dependent upon the sea’s bounty.
Suddenly, the gossamer strains of Summertime fill the theater, sung beautifully by Clara (Sequina Dubose, a Marian Anderson Historical Society Scholar) standing at the top of the steps, cradling her baby. The set design is flexible and deceptively simple: two large wooden structures on wheels serve as two-story store fronts and rickety rooms battered by the sea; the doors and windows are of louvered slats.
Porgy and Bess is the conflicted love story of poor, destitute individuals – the crippled beggar Porgy (the superb Kevin Short) and the abused Bess (first-rate Donita Volkwijn). Bess is the opera’s most complicated role, and Volkwijn performs with the soul of a wounded animal. Porgy remarks, “When God made a cripple, he made him lonely.” Bess’s spirit soars when enveloped by Porgy’s love. Set in Charleston, South Carolina, during the 1930s, when segregation ruled, tension is fanned by the brutish misogynist Crown (Phillip Boykin, a commanding presence, whose clear diction renders a lyrical crawl superfluous) and the stand-in for the devil, Sportin’ Life (rubber legged Reggie Whitehead, a cross between Sammy Davis, Jr. and a stylish imp) resplendent in a suite of snazzy electrifying lavender. Oh yes, kudos to costume designer Ildiko Marta Debreczeni.
At the funeral of Robbins, murdered by Crown, the widow Serena sings My Man’s Gone Now with a passion that envelops her pain. Mari-Yan Pringle’s soul-wrenching delivery precipitated an outburst of applause that was revived during the final curtain calls.
All the voices are well-trained, widely experienced and seasoned. There are no sour notes in this production. The danger and fear of a hurricane, the Catfish Row vulnerability to the elements, makes the waiting-it-out scene taut with realism. The juxtaposition of the holy (verbalized by Serena) and the profane (definitely Sportin’ Life’s forte) creates another layer of tension – and humor.
Porgy and Bess offers high drama dynamically directed by Charles Randolph-Wright which is buoyed by a melodically stirring score conducted decisively by Musical Director Pacien Mazzagatti.
This production is a gift made possible by the Hartford Financial Services Group Broadway Series. Thank you!
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Review of Porgy and Bess
by
Mary Richards
The inhabitants of Catfish Row dance onto the Bushnell Stage to the plainly built set that assures the audience Catfish Row has poverty covered. Poverty of spirit is another matter. Serena’s unwavering belief in the Good Book and the Promised Land gives her courage in the face of misfortune. Dr. Jesus heals and she attempts to guide the Catfish Row flock by the beacon of her faith. Played by Mari-Yan Pringle, her rendition of My Man’s Gone Now is wonderfully poignant and beautifully sung.
Bess (Donita Volkwijnis) is the ultimate outsider. Bad life choices place her beyond the pale. Her spirit and character get a temporary redemptive lift because of Porgy’s unconditional love, but her spirit proves weak in the face of adversity. Porgy (Kevin Short) is content in his simple lifestyle. He sings I Got Plenty o’ Nuttin' which entirely explains Porgy’s belief system. He knows what’s important. His kindness and understanding prove to be balm for the tortured soul of Bess.
Crown (Phillip Boykin) is a vibrant, angry villain who challenges any and all. With a Clint Eastwood make-my- day attitude, he even challenges God. You have to give him credit for guts when he goes out alone into a raging storm to try to rescue Clara’s Jake. A villain with character?
Sportin Life, played masterfully by Reggie Whitehead, is a morally bankrupt entrepreneur of all vice. Fluid and graceful villainy. Slime with style. A combination of Sammy Davis and Fred Astaire lend poise and polish to his self-serving lifestyle. He’s in it for the bucks and he knows Bess, who has a way with the men, will be his best seller. He encourages her participation in his entrepreneurial dream with “Happy Dust” and smooth talking.
Gershwin’s American opera encompasses love, envy, greed, lust, anger, murder and a cultural built-in injustice. The cast does a spectacular job portraying their characters roles in both story and music. What a treat. Don’t miss this.
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