The Gershwins'®
PORGY AND BESS
by George Gershwin, DuBose & Dorothy Heyward, and Ira Gershwin
FRIDAY
APRIL 26, 2019 AT 7:30 PM
Bass Performance Hall
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SUNDAY
APRIL 28, 2019 AT 2:00 PM
Bass Performance Hall
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TUESDAY
APRIL 30, 2019 AT 7:30 PM
Bass Performance Hall
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ABOUT PORGY AND BESS
Considered one of the most important operas written in the 20th century, George Gershwin’s beloved Porgy and Bess has captivated audiences across the globe for over 80 years. This season, opera director Garnett Bruce brings Francesca Zambello’s acclaimed revival of Porgy and Bess to life on the stage of Bass Performance Hall, with spectacular new scenery created by British set designer Peter J. Davison. Based upon DuBose Heyward’s 1925 novel Porgy, the opera follows the impoverished residents of the neighborhood of Catfish Row on the shores of Charleston, South Carolina.
This tragic love story, featuring iconic arias like “Summertime” and “I Got Plenty of Nothing,” centers on a disabled beggar named Porgy and his efforts to save the troubled Bess from a life of shame, addiction, and ruin. This audacious work, with its masterful blend of opera, jazz, blues, spirituals, ragtime, and folk will be presented in English, in its original version with restored orchestrations and recitatives.
CAST
Indira Mahajan
Bess
Thomas Cannon
Porgy
Jermaine Smith
Sportin' Life
Karen Slack
Serena
Norman Garrett
Crown
John Fulton
Jake
Meroë Khalia Adeeb
Clara
Chaz'man Williams-Ali
Robbins | Crabman
Martin Bakari
Peter
Ernest Jackson Jr.
Mingo
Gwendolyn Brown
Maria
ARTISTIC TEAM
Francesca Zambello
Original Stage Director and Production Designer
Garnett Bruce
Director
Joe Illick
Conductor
Alfrelynn Roberts
Chorus Master
Eric Sean Fogel
Choreographer
Eboni Adams
Choreographer
Mark McCullough
Lighting Designer
Peter J Davison
Scenery Designer
