BN-W Snapshot
-THEATRE-
The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess
BN-W Says…Worthy
N-word
No, n-word not used…
Miscellaneous
This Broadway revival is excellent!
The acting, singing, orchestra are all standouts.
Audra McDonald and Norm Lewis have great chemistry and bring a love story to life about two people who are sad souls with serious outward weaknesses and dependencies but who make an unusual – albeit not necessarily healthy – connection that’s great for however long it may last but heartbreaking should it disintegrate.
The Porgy character uses a cane, giving him much more dignity than moving about on his knees or by the goat, which was the 20th century version of the then-opera.
The Bess character is also more developed so the audience can better understand her issues and what she’s about.
Here are two informative links on this revival:
PBS Newshour (2011 Interview)
Porgy and Bess Video Footage (1959-Current)
The confusion and doubt Stephen Sondheim attempted to conjure up without seeing the reimagined/reinterpreted musical is unfounded.
In his New Yorker magazine article on The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, writer Hilton Als effectively points out the hypocrisy that often occurs in the entertainment business:
“
When, as a young writer, Sondheim was asked to pen the lyrics to ‘West Side Story,’ he responded, ‘I’ve never even known a Puerto Rican!’”
And thus his criticism of doom because the production team along with playwright Suzan-Lori Parks’ adaptation of Black characters who are just slightly more evolved so that a 21st century audience can better appreciate or “rediscover Porgy and Bess” is just arrogance, to say the least.
Sondheim probably enjoys the stereotypical Black character portrayals (some even in blackface) depicted here in “The Birth of a Nation” as well!
For discount tickets visit:
BroadwayBox.com
or
Theatermania.com
Contact Information
Audra McDonald
c/o William Morris Endeavor Entertainment
9601 Wilshire Boulevard
Beverly Hills, CA 90210 US
(O) 310-285-9000
(F) 310-285-9010
wmeentertainment.com
c/o
The Katz Company
1674 Broadway – 7th Floor
New York City, NY 10019 US
(O) 212-767-0189
(F) 212-767-0173
thekatzcompany.com
c/o ROAR
9701 Wilshire Blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
(O) 310-424-7800
(F) 310-424-7824
roar.la
Suzan Lori-Parks, Playwright
c/o
Steven Barclay Agency
12 Western Avenue
Petaluma, CA 94952
(O) 707-773-0654
(F) 707-778-1868
barclayagency.com
Diane Paulus, Director
c/o
The Gersh Agency
41 Madison Avenue – 33rd Floor
New York, NY 10010
(O) 212-997-1818
(F) 212-997-1978
gershny.com
Richard Rodgers Theatre
c/o The Nederlander Organization, Inc.
1450 Broadway – Suite 600
New York, NY
10018
(O) 212-840-5577
(F) 212-840-3909
nederlander.com
