• Porgy and Bess (Met Live)

9/22/20 (Tues), Tokyo

The Met Live film that had been broadcast abroad during its performance on February 1 finally arrived in Tokyo theaters this week. The production, the first at the Met in nearly 30 years, had received rapturous reviews and was sold out throughout the run. The production had debuted in London at the ENO in 2018, but they presumably had to expand it for the gigantic Met stage. I thought it would be bashed for cultural appropriation and its none-too-flattering portrayal of black life, but it seems to have been warmly welcomed this time, not least for the opportunity it provides to black singers. (The Met actually had to import a large portion of the chorus from elsewhere.) At any rate, it proved hugely popular and will presumably be around for a while as long as they can secure the main singers, which doesn’t seem to be a problem these days.

This was definitely “P&B” the opera, not the musical. Some numbers could have benefited from a more colloquial reading, especially Sportin’ Life’s songs, where the jazzy New York sound suggests another more sophisticated world for the impoverished Bess; the operatic approach didn’t sound right for the situation or Sportin’ Life’s character. Otherwise, the dialogue was generally spare but all the more effective for that, and the recitatives were extremely well sung by an all-around strong cast.

The singing was universally excellent, the acting less so. “Summertime”, one of the best opening numbers in the history of musical theater, was sung to perfection by South African soprano Golda Schultz (a name that sounds she wandered in from Fiddler on the Roof), but she delivered the number to the audience without ever looking at her kid – this is supposed to be a lullaby, after all. Eric Owens as Porgy looked the part and sounded great, and I’m glad he stood up on crutches rather than remain on his knees as in some productions. But he seemed lethargic, with no real contrast in his facial expressions, and his mechanical movements in the fight scene in particular came off as phony. He was more the Pavarotti stand-there-and-sing type. They announced before the show that he was suffering from a cold and asked our patience, so maybe that carried over into the acting – it certainly didn’t affect his wonderful singing, at least not to my untrained ears.

In contrast, Angel Blue was totally committed as Bess, and her duets with Porgy seemed to energize him. Her lustrous reprise of “Summertime” was a highlight, but she was pretty terrific throughout. Best of all was a spectacular Latonia Moore (Serena), whose “My Man’s Gone Now” was the finest (and most applauded) moment in the show – I can’t wait for her Aida next year. Also notable were Alfred Walker’s scary Crown (superb rendition of “Red Headed Woman”); the buff Donovan Singletary as an unusually powerful Jake; and veteran Denyce Graves, the best actress in the show, in luxury casting as Maria, including top-notch delivery of her dialogue. Frederick Ballentine’s Sportin’ Life was too theatrical and out of synch with the rest of the cast. As noted, it would have helped if he had been allowed to sing his numbers in less operatic style, which would have better suited his acting choices. The chorus members were amazingly strong, not only in their fantastic singing but in their naturalistic acting. I found them completely believable as Catfish Row residents. A big collective bravo for them.

Director James Robinson, who is white (which shouldn’t matter, but these days…), made some curious choices. He used an excellent skeleton house framework that rotated in certain scenes, allowing for fluid movements and accommodating huge numbers of singers. But the few other sets, such as the picnic venue, involved long set changes behind the curtain. Opera audiences must be more patient than Broadway viewers, who are used to swift transitions. I would have thought that the director could have worked that out.

The direction also has a different take on Bess’ obsessive character. In the scene on the island, when she is accosted by Crown, she is usually shown as being ground down and ultimately giving in to her passions. Here she breaks away and runs toward the boat, perfectly able to flee, only to turn back and go with Crown into the shadows as the curtain falls. That dilutes the impulsiveness of her decision. It also jars with the following scene, where she’s back in Porgy’s house traumatized by her encounter, suggesting that she had been coerced into sex. I don’t get it. (She admits her weakness in “I Loves You, Porgy”, begging Porgy to protect her from herself when she refers to Crown’s “hot hands” and says that “when [Crown] calls I know I have to go”.) Later, after Porgy has killed Crown and been hauled off to jail, Sportin’ Life tempts the distressed Bess with his “happy dust” (cocaine) using, in this production, soothing words rather than forcing it up her nose. He leaves the cocaine sitting in front of Bess, who, again victim to her own frailty, relapses on her own and effectively dumps Porgy as she leaves for New York. Porgy’s love evidently wasn’t strong enough against the lure of sex and drugs. The decision to have her opt willingly for both Crown and cocaine rather than have them forced on her makes her less sympathetic, throwing a new light on Porgy’s pursuit of her – what does he do once he’s found her? If his love wasn’t enough then, will it be next time? I don’t think the implications are well thought out. That may be a problem with the show itself, but the production doesn’t help. Porgy Part 2 wouldn’t be pretty.

The choreography is a horror. In numerous scenes, randomly placed dancers bend at the waist, jerk their bodies and flail their arms as if possessed even as the rest of the chorus just stands there. Is this supposed to reflect their religious bent? Whatever it is doesn’t work; it’s distracting and silly. In particular, the floundering about during “A Woman Is a Sometime Thing” detracts from the singer for no discernible purpose. The choreographer said in the intermission interview that she wanted to bring her perspective to the task, a sign that she’s more interested in making her mark than serving the drama. This was easily the worst part of the show.

Overall, singing of this quality needs no justification, and the staging did flow nicely other than the unnecessary set changes. The crowd scenes were especially impressive with a sense of real people on stage rather than singers. Musically it was hard to improve on this production (other than Sportin’ Life’s songs), and that’s the main reason we’re there in the first place. I hope they release a recording of the production.