Porgy and Bess at Seattle Opera

Porgy and Bess, the first opera in Seattle Opera’s new season, is either loved as a pillar of the opera canon or reviled as a racist tool of oppression. Earlier this week I talked about the reasons for the differing opinions. Today I want to talk about the one thing everyone can agree on – the quality of Seattle Opera’s production of the divisive Porgy and Bess.

The Great American Opera

The Gershwins are inextricably linked with commercial Broadway musicals in the popular consciousness, but with Porgy and Bess, Gershwin set out to write not just an opera, but the Great American Opera. He wanted the most dramatic story, the most sophisticated music, the greatest talent – and he wanted it all to be utterly and undeniably American.

Even though I don’t like Gershwin’s music, I think it’s fair to say he succeeded. As the voices on Seattle Opera’s stage attest, this is high opera. But the music unmistakably contains elements of blues, gospel, and ragtime – the ingredients of what many argue is the only truly American genre of music, jazz. The lyrics are not just in English, but in a uniquely American dialect so provincial that even American opera singers would have to study it like a new language. The story fits right in with 1930’s American literature. It feels like Steinbeck and Albee. Agencyless Bess could have come from the pens of Hemingway or Fitzgerald as easily as Verdi.

In the one element where classical opera and American culture naturally align – the attitude of go big or go home – Porgy and Bess nails it. The music requires a full orchestra, plus some extra instruments like banjo (and I’m pretty sure I heard bongo drums). The chorus is massive and rarely offstage, with a long list of named characters who get their own solos.

You could learn about all of these things in the lecture before the show, but I think they all come across in the performance pretty well.

The Show

I’ve heard Catfish Row described as an old mansion turned tenement. Seattle Opera’s interpretation (a co-production with Glimmerglass) was all rusted metal and felt more like a converted warehouse. But, as always, the set design is spectacular. During the hurricane, huge panels “blow” off the walls, making incredible noise and really adding to the intensity of the scene.

I’m a sucker for 1930’s clothing, even simple cotton housedresses, so it wasn’t hard to impress me with the costumes constructed by Washington National Opera Studio. In a lot of classic operas, the costumes are impressive, but don’t tell viewers much about the character. Because how many of us can tell the difference between a 17^th– century woman with good taste and one who is tacky? But the visual cues of the 1930s are still comprehensible, so we can instantly tell the difference in character between the well-dressed undertaker and the well-dressed drug dealer. We know instantly that Bess is trashy and Serena has more class than money. And I want both their clothes.

The Low Notes

So many characters! And even though the 3-hour opera felt too long, you don’t want to give up a single one of them. From the honey man to the strawberry lady, every single voice sounded like the hero of their own story.

The number of baritones and basses almost made up for Gershwin’s tortuous phrasing. The chorus and secondary characters are littered with them – perhaps Gershwin was trying to convey that this is a community of “real men.”

I had never seen Kevin Short (Porgy) before. His voice goes so deep it makes me curious what he’d sound like in a death metal band. I bet his growls are killer. Lester Lynch’s baritone was so rich and nuanced you could almost see what Bess sees in him.

Higher Ranges

The only major tenor character was Jermaine Smith’s cynical, shifty Sportin’ Life. Like Crown, he’s an unrepentant bad guy with no apparent redeeming qualities. But his appeal is undeniable. When life is so hard for everyone and there’s no way out, he looks good and has a good time. It’s easy to forget his good time adds to everyone else’s suffering.

Bess. I hate that character. American literature is littered with these impulsive, amoral women who never think for themselves or stand for anything. They are not intelligent or strong. They simply exist as capricious empty vessels for men to pour their adulation into. I’ve never met a Daisy Buchanan in real life, and I’m not sure they exist. But if they do, they don’t qualify as main characters. (In fact, Bess wasn’t a main character to start out with. It was only because Gershwin worked so closely with soprano Anne Brown while developing the opera that the character grew to such importance.) To make matters worse, Bess doesn’t get a lot of great music. I really only felt like I could hear what soprano Elizabeth Llewellyn was capable of in the aria “I Loves You Porgy.” I’d like to see her again in a role that I don’t hate.

Although they are smaller roles, the sopranos playing Clara and Serena get more interesting songs. The young mother Clara (Brandie Sutton) gets the famous “Summertime,” that opens the performance. Mary Elizabeth Williams, as she is wont to do, steals the show as Serena. While Bess’ character is flatter than real people, Serena has more depth than most real-life church ladies I’ve met. Plus, her widow song threatens to tear down the building in the intensity of her grief.

Casting

From what I read, it seems like Seattle Opera is ahead of the curve in casting black performers. I rarely see an opera without at least one black performer in a named role (even when the cast is small). But on the day I attended, ten of the named characters were appearing in their Seattle Opera debut. This indicates that audiences are still missing out on an abundance of black talent. I hope we see more of these performers in the future.

Tickets and Family Day

Remaining performances are August 17, 18, 19, 22, 24, and 25. Tickets start at $49 and are available online at seattleopera.org or at the box office.

Sunday, August 19, 2018 at 2:00 PM is Family Day at Porgy and Bess. For this specially designated performance, students age 18 and under pay only $20 for almost any seat. Family Days also feature special student-oriented activities during intermission. Wondering if this opera is appropriate for your children? READ THE CONTENT ADVISORY.

 The Details

The Gershwins®’ Porgy And Bess℠

By George Gershwin, DuBose and Dorothy Heyward, and Ira Gershwin

In English with English captions

Approximate Running Time: 3 hours including one intermission

Evening performances begin at 7:30 p.m., Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m.

Premiere: Alvin Theater, New York, NY; October 10, 1935

Cast on the day I attended:

• indicates company debut

Porgy                          Kevin Short

Bess                            Elizabeth Llewellyn*

Crown                        Lester Lynch

Serena                       Mary Elizabeth Williams

Sportin’ Life               Jermaine Smith

Clara                           Brandie Sutton*

Jake                            Derrick Parker*

Maria                         Judith Skinner*

Mingo                        Bernard Holcomb*

Robbins                     Edward Graves*

Peter the Honeyman        Martin Bakari*

Jim                              Nicholas Davis*

Undertaker                Damien Geter*

Annie                         Cheryse McLeod Lewis

Nelson                        Ernest C. Jackson Jr.*

Crab Man                   Ashley Faatoalia

Strawberry Woman    Ibidunni Ojikutu

Lily                               Marlette Buchanan

Conductor                       John DeMain

Original Production        Francesca Zambello

Stage Director                 Garnett Bruce*

Set Designer                   Peter J. Davison*

Costume Designer           Paul Tazewell*              

Lighting Design               Mark McCullough

Choreographer                Eric Sean Fogel*

Scenery and props for this production of Porgy and Bess are co-produced by Glimmerglass Festival and Seattle Opera.

Costumes by Washington National Opera