DIY History | Transcribe | Campus Culture | Cecile Cooper newspaper clippings, 1966-1987 | ""Powerful 'Porgy and Bess' purges the old, plays anew""

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Cecile Cooper newspaper clippings, 1966-1987

""Powerful 'Porgy and Bess' purges the old, plays anew""

By Karen Leff
EPIC OPERA: Simon Estes plays a memorable Porgy to Grace Bumbry's sometimes clumsy Bess in Gershwin's folk opera.

MUSIC/BY DAVID PATRICK STEARNS
Powerful 'Porgy and Bess' purges the old, plays anew

NEW YORK - Gershwin's Porgy and Bess triumphed with easy confidence Wednesday night in its belated Metropolitan Opera debut, losing none of its earthiness and gaining a radiant dignity. 
From the musical to the theatrical, Porgy has been purged of cliches, stereotypes and routing, justifying every bar of this now three-hour-plus opera. Even when nuances are inevitably lost in this cavernous theater, the production never loses its dual sense of sweep and heartbreaking intimacy. The crippled Porgy and cocaine-addled Bess are shown as part of a larger clash of social values - rural vs. urban, virtue vs. vice. 
Amid Robert O'Hearn's epic sets, Nathaniel Merrill's stage direction gives even the most incidental characters specific personalities, whether in the superb black chorus or among members of the Dance Theatre of Harlem. Nor is there the slightest starchiness in conductor James Levine's swinging interpretation.
Simon Estes gives Porgy grandeur with his large, colorful Wagnerian voice, and a total identification with the role. Also memorable is Gregg Baker's vocally imposing Crown and Isola Jones' sublime Strawberry Woman. 
Grace Bumbry's Bess is older than most - an interesting character twist, but largely unsuccessful because of her insensitive singing and clumsy acting. Another misfire is Charles Williams' Sportin' Life, whose voice is too brittle to convey the character's oily charm or demonic menace. 
Such problems can be remedied in future revivals. More important, the Met has mounted a landmark production in Porgy's troubled history.

Ca. Feb. 1985

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By Karen Leff EPIC OPERA: Simon Estes plays a memorable Porgy to Grace Bumbry's sometimes clumsy Bess in Gershwin's folk opera. MUSIC/BY DAVID PATRICK STEARNS Powerful 'Porgy and Bess' purges the old, plays anew NEW YORK - Gershwin's Porgy and Bess triumphed with easy confidence Wednesday night in its belated Metropolitan Opera debut, losing none of its earthiness and gaining a radiant dignity. From the musical to the theatrical, Porgy has been purged of cliches, stereotypes and routing, justifying every bar of this now three-hour-plus opera. Even when nuances are inevitably lost in this cavernous theater, the production never loses its dual sense of sweep and heartbreaking intimacy. The crippled Porgy and cocaine-addled Bess are shown as part of a larger clash of social values - rural vs. urban, virtue vs. vice. Amid Robert O'Hearn's epic sets, Nathaniel Merrill's stage direction gives even the most incidental characters specific personalities, whether in the superb black chorus or among members of the Dance Theatre of Harlem. Nor is there the slightest starchiness in conductor James Levine's swinging interpretation. Simon Estes gives Porgy grandeur with his large, colorful Wagnerian voice, and a total identification with the role. Also memorable is Gregg Baker's vocally imposing Crown and Isola Jones' sublime Strawberry Woman. Grace Bumbry's Bess is older than most - an interesting character twist, but largely unsuccessful because of her insensitive singing and clumsy acting. Another misfire is Charles Williams' Sportin' Life, whose voice is too brittle to convey the character's oily charm or demonic menace. Such problems can be remedied in future revivals. More important, the Met has mounted a landmark production in Porgy's troubled history. Ca. Feb. 1985