- 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.
sekenbanashi 