Friday, January 27, 2012

Theater Review: Porgy & Bess

The Gershwins’ PORGY AND BESS (2012): Audra McDonald, Norm Lewis
Photo By: Michael J. Lutch
Norm, You is My Porgy NowBy Lauren Yarger
Consider that headline a love letter to Norm Lewis, who brings to life the character of Porgy in The Gershwins' Porgy & Bess, getting a revised and slimmed-down production on Broadway directed by Diane Paulus.
Lewis brings such warmth, strength and humanity to Porgy, that his performance alone is reason to see the production which found itself embroiled in controversy before it even hit the Great White Way (Composer Stephen Sondheim wrote in the New York Times criticizing changes to the original version featuring music by George Gershwin and lyrics by Ira Gershwin and DuBose and Dorothy Heyward, who wrote the libretto.)

For the revised version, which had a pre-Broadway run in Cambridge, MA, Suzan-Lori Parks (who wrote the Pulitzer-Prize winner TopDog, Underdog) adapted the 1935 book and is credited with additional scenes (though a planned happy ending was scrapped). Deirdre L. Murray, a composer and jazz instrumentalist, adapted the music which is orchestrated by William David Brohn and Christopher Jahnke.
While I understand Sondheim's and others' well intentioned concerns about altering an artist's work and the dangers of changing classic works to fit in with current culture, I think Porgy & Bess might be one of the best examples of how this can work well. The two-and-a-half hour piece infuses all of the best parts of the original with new vitality that will interest a new generation of theatergoers.

The opera tells the story of African-American life in Catfish Row, a fishing community in South Carolina (depicted here on a minimal set designed by Ricardo Hernandez. The characters are dressed in costumes designed by ESosa). Frankly, except for the wonderful music which includes classics like "Summertime," "Bess, You Is My Woman, Now,"  and "It Ain't Necessarily So," among others, I didn't much care for the story in other versions I have seen. It's a real bummer and tends to get lost in the lengthy production, which can run more than three hours.

Here, though, thanks to Lewis' compelling portrayal, I got to know, and really care about Porgy, a crippled beggar (Lewis' twisted limp seems truly painful) who finds love with Bess (a surprisingly lackluster Audra McDonald the day I attended). Lewis' "I Got Plenty of Nothing" defines Porgy as a strong, confident man, content in life despite his hardships and accepted as a valued member of the community despite his circumstances -- not the wimpy sap who gets taken advantage of whom I had met in other productions. In fact, Lewis' portrayal is the one I will use as a measure for future Porgys.

In the tale, Porgy offers Bess shelter when Crown (Phillip Boykin) the man who is keeping her, murders a man and goes into hiding. He leaves Bess behind knowing that some other man will be happy to have the woman's sexual favors until he can return to claim her. He is amused to discover that the unfortunate Porgy has taken the job.

Bess, however, is more attracted to the disabled man's pure heart and kind, accepting love than she is to the towering, muscular stevedore physique that houses a cruel personality. Crown is outraged when she doesn't want to return to him. Boykin creates such an excellently vivid characterization of Crown's repulsive nature that he is soundly booed at the curtain call.

Standing out among the residents of Catfish Row are three: the wonderful Joshua Henry (his dreamy voice is a pleasure on any stage) as fisherman Jake, who leads beautiful renditions of "A Woman is a Sometime Thing," and "It Takes a Long Pull," David Alan Grier as Sporting Life, a drug dealer who tries to keep Bess hooked on "happy dust," and a delightfully humorous NaTasha Yvette Williams as Mariah, a sort of matriarch of the community.

Also deserving special mention are excellent vocals by Bryonha Marie Parham (who plays Serena, wife of the man killed by Crown), Nikki Renee Daniels (as Clara, Jake's wife) and Andrea Jones-Sojola as the Strawberry woman.

Overall, Paulus deserves Kudos for invigorating the piece, though some choreography by Ronald K. Brown seems awkward and out of place.

The limited engagement of The Gershwins' Porgy & Bess at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, 226 West 46th St., NY C, has been extended through Sept. 30. Tickets: 877-250-2929 or visit www.porgyandbessonbroadway.com.

Student rush tickets, which are subject to availability, can be purchased for $37 each, one ticket per student ID and cash only. If available, tickets can be purchased the day of the performance starting at 5pm for evening performances and noon for matinees.

Christians might also like to know:
--Language
--Lords' name taken in vain
--Sexual activity
--Drug usage
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Gracewell Prodiuctions

Gracewell Prodiuctions
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Our reviews are professional reviews written without a religious bias. At the end of them, you can find a listing of language, content or theological issues that Christians might want to know about when deciding which shows to see.

** Mature indicates that the show has posted an advisory because of content. Usually this means I would recommend no one under the age of 16 attend.

Theater Critic Lauren Yarger

Theater Critic Lauren Yarger

My Bio

Lauren Yarger has written, directed and produced numerous shows and special events for both secular and Christian audiences. She co-wrote a Christian musical version of “A Christmas Carol” which played to sold-out audiences of over 3,000 in Vermont and was awarded the Vermont Bessie (theater and film awards) for “People’s Choice for Theatre.” She also has written two other dinner theaters, sketches for church services and devotions for Christian artists. Her play concept, "From Reel to Real: The Jennifer O'Neill Story" was presented as part of the League of professional Theatre Women's Julia's reading Room Series in New York. Shifting from reviewing to producing, Yarger owns Gracewell Productions, which produced the Table Reading Series at the Palace Theater in Waterbury, CT. She trained for three years in the Broadway League’s Producer Development Program, completed the Commercial Theater Institute's Producing Intensive and other training and produced a one-woman musical about Mary Magdalene that toured nationally and closed with an off-Broadway run. She was a Fellow at the National Critics Institute at the O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, CT. She wrote reviews of Broadway and Off-Broadway theater (the only ones you can find in the US with an added Christian perspective) at http://reflectionsinthelight.blogspot.com/.

She is editor of The Connecticut Arts Connection (http://ctarts.blogspot.com), an award-winning website featuring theater and arts news for the state. She was a contributing editor for BroadwayWorld.com. She previously served as theater reviewer for the Manchester Journal-Inquirer, Connecticut theater editor for CurtainUp.com and as Connecticut and New York reviewer for American Theater Web.

She is a Co-Founder of the Connecticut Chapter of the League of Professional Theatre Women. She is a former vice president and voting member of The Drama Desk.

She is a freelance writer and playwright (member Dramatists Guild of America). She is a member if the The Outer Critics Circle (producer of the annual awards ceremony) and a member of The League of Professional Theatre Women, serving as Co-Founder of the Connecticut Chapter. Yarger was a book reviewer for Publishers Weekly A former newspaper editor and graduate of the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism, Yarger also worked in arts management for the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, the Hartford Symphony Orchestra and served for nine years as the Executive Director of Masterwork Productions, Inc. She lives with her husband in West Granby, CT. They have two adult children.

Copyright

All material is copyright 2008- 2024 by Lauren Yarger. Reviews and articles may not be reprinted without permission. Contact reflectionsinthelight@gmail.com

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Key to Content Notes:

God's name taken in vain -- means God or Jesus is used in dialogue without speaking directly to or about them.

Language -- means some curse words are used. "Minor" usually means the words are not too strong or that it only occurs once or twice throughout the show.

Strong Language -- means some of the more heavy duty curse words are used.

Nudity -- means a man or woman's backside, a man's lower front or a woman's front are revealed.

Scantily clad -- means actors' private areas are technically covered, but I can see a lot of them.

Sexual Language -- means the dialogue contains sexually explicit language but there's no action.

Sexual Activity -- means a man and woman are performing sexual acts.

Adultery -- Means a married man or woman is involved sexually with someone besides their spouse. If this is depicted with sexual acts on stage, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.

Sex Outside of Marriage -- means a man and woman are involved sexually without being married. If this is depicted sexually on stage, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.

Homosexuality -- means this is in the show, but not physically depicted.

Homosexual activity -- means two persons of the same sex are embracing/kissing. If they do more than that, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.

Cross Dresser -- Means someone is dressing as the opposite sex. If they do more than that on stage the listing would include the corresponding "sexual activity" and/or "homosexual activity" as well.

Cross Gender -- A man is playing a female part or a woman is playing a man's part.

Suggestive Dancing -- means dancing contains sexually suggestive moves.

Derogatory (category added Fall 2012) Language or circumstances where women or people of a certain race are referred to or treated in a negative and demeaning manner.

Other content matters such as torture, suicide, or rape will be noted, with details revealed only as necessary in the review itself.

The term "throughout" added to any of the above means it happens many times throughout the show.

Reviewing Policy

I receive free seats to Broadway and Off-Broadway shows made available to all voting members of the Outer Critics Circle. Journalistically, I provide an unbiased review and am under no obligation to make positive statements. Sometimes shows do not make tickets available to reviewers. If these are shows my readers want to know about I will purchase a ticket. If a personal friend is involved in a production, I'll let you know, but it won't influence a review. If I feel there is a conflict, I won't review their portion of the production.

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