Does anyone know of any US opera companies performing Porgy & Bess this or next season? I'm surprised we don't see more productions. I understand the challenges of casting a nearly entirely African American opera production, but surely the effort is worth it for the reward? I remember what a hot ticket Porgy & Bess was at the LA Opera a few seasons ago (a co-production with the Washington Opera, I believe). And from the conversations I overheard in the auditorium and the lobby, Porgy & Bess was many people's first introduction to Opera and, in some cases, to professional theatrical productions. It was heartening to see a sold out Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, filled with both seasoned theatre/operagoers and new audiences, absolutely spellbound by that exquisite score.
And I know what some will suggest. Why not check out the current national tour? I just got a postcard for the national tour of the Broadway revival and I think I'll be skipping it. My objections are not the same as Sondheim's, exactly. I honestly don't mind that a "Broadway" version of the production cuts some of the score and that it even attempts to humanize and deepen the characterizations of some of the characters. Unlike Mr. S, I think it is a legitimate enterprise to add some more complexity and intelligence to these characters in 2014 without damaging the author's intentions or the true nature of these iconic roles. My main objection is to the bastardization of what remains of the score. Even reduced to a 20-something orchestra, the original orchestrations are still as vivid, dynamic and modern as they must have sounded in the 30s and 40s. I've heard them played by a band of that size and by a glorious 50 piece orchestra at the LA Opera and heard selections performed by a 100+ San Francisco Symphony. But the new orchestrations created for this revival rob the score of its power -- they've Disneyfied and dumbed down Gershwin's gorgeous, shimmering sound. So, that's part of the reason I'm wondering if there are any opera companies performing this work in the next couple of seasons.
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