What is it about this play that has withstood the test of time for so many years?

Is it the awesome songs like ‘Summertime’, and ‘I Love You Porgy’?

Is it the love that was never supposed to be? Sade sung about an undieing love in her hit song, No Ordinary Love, and likewise when Toni Braxton raved about it in her hit “I Love Me Some Him.”We saw an unconditional love displayed between the young couple in the movie Titanic.     

But has there ever been a love like that between Porgy and Bess? 

For most of you, you know the story. The love between a man and a woman where it’s proven, yet again, that opposites attract.   Porgy, a loner, a crippled man, perhaps uneducated, finds himself in love with a worldly woman. A woman who seemed to have picked the wrong type of man, too many times. A woman who loved – flexibility - over stability.   A woman who finds herself in perhaps another jam, and is taken in by an unsuspecting, yet kind, man who may have gotten in over his head with this worldly type of woman.  He’s never loved before.  Nevertheless he knew love.  He knew he loved Bess, and would do anything for her.

The 2010 operatic rendition of Porgy and Bess by the Washington National Opera marks the 75^th anniversary of the famed and beloved (and not so beloved) tale.  Director, Francesca Zambello began production in 2005 and has since presented the work with the help of the Los Angeles Opera in 2007, the Opera of Chicago in 2008, and the San Francisco Opera in 2009.  It was no wonder that it would soon make its return to Nation’s Capitol.

With musicians (many from our area) with rich voices, candor and style, the production provided impressive performances from its double cast members with the likes of Lester Lynch and Eric Owens (Porgy), Indira Mahajan and Morenkike Fadayomi (Bess), along with equally impressive roles from Terry Cook, (who played Crown, the other love interest from which ‘Bess’ couldn’t break hold), and Larry D. Hylton, playing the sinister, conniving, snake-in-the-Garden-like character of Sportin’ Life.  With Ben Vereen-like dancing and singing his pursuit of the temptress and his desire to conquer the femme fatale made her his sport in life.

Many people have starred in this play, which made its original debut in the 1930s.  

Many well-known artists have sung the music, among them Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong (listen here), Lena Horne. Most recently (2006) Fantasia Barrino performed Summertime during her performance on American Idol.   And there was Ms. Maya Angelou.

Ms. Angelou, who performed in the 1950’s adaptation, spoke candidly about the play with NPR’s Michel Martin

“I was very grateful to be with "Porgy and Bess," and to know that when Martha Flowers sang the "Strawberry Song," that whatever the Gershwin's had learned they had taken that directly out of the mouths of people in the South. This was exactly what was sung. So I was proud to proud to be an African-American. I knew that there was art from the poets and from the Gershwin's. I knew there was great art. I also knew that they had been inspired by great art, the great art of the African-American.”

You can listen to the entire interview here.

Whether you liked the production of Porgy and Bess (I did), or not, what I walked away with enjoying the most was it’s portrayal of a period of time when support from friends, a vibrant (al beit poor) community stuck together and strong family ties ruled.

There were many lessons and memories to walk away with after seeing Porgy and Bess. 

I recommend that you see it to determine which ones appeal to you.

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