Day: October 18, 2018

Porgy and Bess

George Gershwin,
DuBose and Dorothy Heyward, and Ira Gershwin

English National Opera

This story of Bess abandoned by her lover is then shown kindness by the crippled beggar Porgy. They commit to a new life together, but the destructive forces of her violent ex-lover Crown and her drug dealer Sportin’ Life work against Bess to pull the pair apart.

You can read the full synopsis here

COMPOSER George Gershwin, who also composed Rhapsody in Blue and An American in Paris, infused this wonderful operatic score with jazz, gospel and blues influence, lush orchestral underscoring and big spiritual chorus numbers, his fastidious research in 1935 into the communities of the 1920’s and the music they used to represent themselves show in the multi textured layers of melody and reference. It’s a lush indulgence into the great Americans songbook of the south.

Nadine Benjamin’s Clara is a soft-focus exercise in motherhood and her opening aria, starting with that one famous note, caused the whole audience to catch it’s breath in anticipation as Summertime drifted over the packed breathless house filled with the heat of the Carolina evening and swelled to emotional perfection by the orchestra bringing George Gershwin’s score to full bodied life. What a way to start a night Benjamin was magnetic, in a set from Michael Yeargan’s made up of beams and silhouettes, action, and business, rooms and architecture she held the moment and the focus, gently but carefully. Tichina Vaughn and Latonia Moore as Maria and Serena bring the warmth of their older maternal god-fearing piny wearing characters to real presence, acting as superb as their singing and, in this ensemble opera, their singular presence adding immeasurably to the bigger all.

There’s a superb range of singers in this production from all across the world and the quality of the singing fixed in step with the superb orchestration under the sensual motions of conductor John Wilson provide an evening of really rather special charms. This was Wilson’s first time at the ENO and he brought the lethargic, soft, suffocating heat to life and although on occasion the tempo dropped a touch, the surging sensuality of the music kept the pressure on to the very last notes. This whole opera is an ensemble peace, with everyone giving their very best and when they have a solo moment, shining and providing superb texture to the overall narrative.  The ENO has collected a startlingly talented cast of singers and dancers, all performers of colour – as directed by the Gershwin estate – and this must be the best show in London at the moment because of it.

Set in 1920s South Carolina, Gershwin’s’ Porgy and Bess is a thought provoking, gritty and spirited ‘folk opera’ and although there may be uncomfortable moments watching this soft focus feel-good happy poor folks living the underprivileged dream, you sense the utter sincerity of the writing and music and, in context, it’s beautiful on a number of levels.

This is an opera about community, power and intersectionality and the ENO tackled this in the subtlest of ways, providing Gershwin’s Bess with a space to explore her own limited agency and the startlingly modern and pragmatic morality of both her male lovers.  Bess may be co-dependent, dependent and addicted, but there’s hope written into her character, Nicole Cabell’s Bess is a triumph,  full of life, scared and tremulous, fearful and fearless she shines and although her voice on occasion was swathed by the complex music swelling all around her like the storm on the Bayou her engaging singing won our hearts. I’ve not seen Bess played with such a fierce tenderness before and paired with the noble fury of Porgy by Eric Greene and his stunning baritone voice which rolled around the auditorium hunting down every corner and filling it with the dignified authority of his profound tones. He’s a huge presence, with one leg strapped down behind him, he brings such humble hobbling humanity to Porgy. Together they sang with conviction and the emotion, from all the cast on stage this evening, was compelling.

Nmon Ford as Crown is magnetic, his voice seductive and charming but with the raw passionate energy behind him lifting it up and filling the space, all of whom were straining to get another look at his sculpted muscled torso and dangling sweaty vest. Frederick Ballentine brings a real spring to his Sportin’ Life’s, slippery, sleazy but hypnotic, his dancing, sliding and singing combining to give a compulsive performance fully backed up his lyrical voice. A superb way to grace the ENO stage for the first time.

The chorus, again from all across the globe are wonderful, constantly filling and rolling the noise and music around, giving a sense of purpose and underlying religious fervour that grabs and sends a shiver down the spine, along with the shifting light of the day the chorus are ever present.   What a pleasure to listen to them and at full voice, how triumphant they sounded in the final It ain’t necessarily so. Worth going along just to listen to the chorus, even without the outstanding singing from the rest of the cast.

With so many famous songs packed in it’s certainly a pleaser with the audience, who hummed Summertime, Bess and It Ain’t Necessarily So all down St Martins Lane and homeward bound. It might have been more than three decades since there’s been a production on this scale and to this quality, but the ENO proved (once again) that when it gets it right and commits, then there’s little to compete with them.

Director James Robinson’s authentic, charming and emotionally connective production has managed that most marvellous of operatic tricks, Robins has presented us with a classic, done in a classic way. Unfiddled with, authentic but manages with understatedly magnificent shift of focus to give us a wholly relevant and beautifully faithful production of this Gershwin Opera. I left enchanted.

This is an exceptional, lyrical, beautiful production of Gershwin’s classic opera and I’d urge you to go along and see it. Book now!

Plays until November 17

For more info or to book tickets see the ENO website

English National Opera

London Colisuem

St Martins Lane

London