America's music
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| Tulsa Opera director Carol I. Crawford (left) and stage director Johnathon Pape rehearse the cast of “Porgy and Bess.” |
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By JAMES D. WATTS JR. World Scene Writer
4/8/2007
When Gershwin wrote 'Porgy and Bess,' he sent a message to the world
Opera fans have been known to argue over just about any aspect of the art form, except when the topic is "What is the Great American Opera?"
The answer has been the same since 1935: George Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess."
"Nothing even comes close," said Tulsa Opera general director Carol I. Crawford. "It's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the words 'American opera.'"
However, not everyone knows "Porgy and Bess" the way they should.
"A lot of people know some of the songs from the opera, because they've become standards for pop singers and jazz musicians," said Johnathon Pape, who is directing Tulsa Opera's production of "Porgy and Bess."
"I mean, for some people, 'Summertime' is a song that Fantasia sang on 'American Idol,' " he said. "They're familiar with 'It Ain't Necessarily So,' or 'My Man's Gone Now,' but they have no idea that these songs are from a show. And that's a shame."
But that is one thing Tulsa Opera hopes to rectify, with its production of George Gershwin's opera, opening Saturday at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center.
This story of love and murder, survival and redemption among the denizens of Catfish Row in Charleston, S.C., stars Brian Mitchell as Porgy and Donita Volkwijn as Bess.
Mitchell has performed several times in Tulsa, first in 2001 in Tulsa Opera's "Rigoletto," and as a soloist when the Tulsa Philharmonic performed Verdi's Requiem. Volkwijn was last seen here in February, singing the role of Micaela in "Carmen."
"Porgy is a grueling role," Crawford said. "Just on a physical level, having to remain on your knees the whole night makes singing that much more difficult. On the other hand, there's no better male character -- better as a person -- in opera than Porgy. And Brian is really taking that to heart. He's plunged into this role in ways I've never seen before."
Chauncey Packer, also part of the "Carmen" cast, returns as Sportin' Life. John Fulton sings the role of Crown, Hope Briggs plays Serena and Awet Andemicael will portray Clara.
Kostis Protopapas serves as chorus master, and Crawford will conduct the Tulsa Opera Orchestra.
This is Pape's ninth production with Tulsa Opera. And, although he has directed a wide range of musical theater, opera and straight theater shows from Ireland to Israel and all over the United States, this is the first time he has had the chance to direct "Porgy and Bess."
Pape's approach to the opera is that, in spite of it being set in a specific time and place, "Porgy and Bess" is essentially timeless.
"It's not a quaint, little period piece," he said. "It is about the things real people deal with -- life and love, violence and hardships, and how can people survive with some kind of dignity."
Survival is about all the people in Catfish Row can hope for. Most of the men make their meager livings from the sea. Those who don't go out in boats in the morning find other ways to make a living, selling honey or selling dope.
And the women wait -- for their men to return, for their children to have enough to eat, for a chance to get to some place with the promise of a better life.
"It's about a very specific community in a very specific time," Pape said. "It paints a vivid picture of this fully realized world, and show its every aspect -- warts and all.
"You see the problems of this social situation -- people crushed by poverty, the drug and alcohol abuse, the domestic violence, the uncaring legal system," he said. "And then, to top it off, here comes a hurricane."
What lifts the people's spirits -- and what makes "Porgy and Bess" truly the Great American Opera -- is music. Gershwin spent time in South Carolina, visiting black communities and absorbing the music he heard there, just as he had immersed himself in the jazz and blues of Harlem where he grew up.
"The music is the reason this opera is great," Crawford said. "It's truly American music. And that's how Gershwin saw it. He knew segregation existed -- I'm sure he experienced racism and prejudice himself, as a Jew -- but Gershwin didn't care. He loved this music, and he wanted to prove its worth to the rest of the world."
Pape added, "The music of 'Porgy and Bess' speaks to everyone. One of the real hallmarks of music like gospel, jazz, rhythm and blues, is its emotion quality. It's music that goes directly to the heart."
"Porgy and Bess" seems to be presented in cycles, Crawford said. A number of major opera companies have recently staged, or are about to stage, the work, including the Los Angeles Opera and the Philadelphia Opera.
"It's something that needs to be performed more, that people need to hear and enjoy more," Pape said. "This opera is something we all can be proud of."
James D. Watts Jr. 581-8478
james.watts@tulsaworld.com
american opera
"PORGY & BESS"
Who: presented by Tulsa Opera
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday and April 20; 2:30 p.m. April 22 Where: Chapman Music Hall, Tulsa Performing Arts Center, Third Street and Cincinnati Avenue Tickets: $15-$90, available at Tulsa Opera, 587-4811; the PAC Ticket office, 596-7111; and www.MyTicketOffice.com
By JAMES D. WATTS JR. World Scene Writer
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