It concerns a woman addicted to ‘happy dust’ (cocaine) and bad men. What the Gershwins brought us in 1935 is based on Porgy, the 1927 play by the Heywards – DuBose (who wrote the Porgy and Bess libretto with Ira Gershwin) and Dorothy – which was itself adapted from DuBose Heyward’s novel of the same name. Something else worthy of being debated but not here and now. Two recent transmissions from the Met have now suggested that without Wozzeck (review click here) there would be no Porgy and Bess, and without Porgy and Bess there would have been no Peter Grimes. I understand Britten saw a 1942 Broadway production and the similarities with Grimes are self-evident in the sense of alienation of the leading character, the social mores of a somewhat isolated community, and the dramatic use of a storm – a hurricane in Porgy and Bess – as the excuse for an interlude, as well as, a musical device of considerable power.

What is not in doubt is how much Benjamin Britten’s Peter Grimes owes to Porgy and Bess and I wonder if he would have ever composed it without its influence. My overall impression of the work – in its current form – is that despite the wonderful songs (‘Summertime’, ‘Bess, You is My Woman Now’, ‘I Got Plenty o’ Nuttin’’, ‘It Ain’t Necessarily So’ and the triumphalist ‘Oh, Lawd, I’m on My Way’) – it is much too long and the longwinded recitative is no help whatsoever when plain dialogue would be much better. Is it the first great American opera or more of a Broadway musical? No need to debate this here and anyway I had never seen Porgy and Bess until now. It apparently is now performed in a critically researched and authoritative performance edition of the score coordinated by musicologist Wayne Shirley, currently at the University of Michigan’s Gershwin Initiative. When this production – first put on by English National Opera (for review click here) – opened the new 2019-20 season it marked the return of the Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess to the Met after an absence of 29 years. (JPr) The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess (c) Ken Howard Transmitted live from the Metropolitan Opera, New York, to Cineworld Basildon, Essex. Should you use a reseller, the Academy Center of the Arts will not be liable for any issues with your purchase.Īll ticket sales are subject to a Historic Theatre Restoration Fee and credit/debit card processing fees.United States The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess: Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra of the Metropolitan Opera / David Robertson (conductor). Tickets held at “will call” that are not picked up by the beginning of the show may be re-sold at the discretion of the Box Office staff.Īll tickets for this show will be sold through and our ticketing system. Please do not use third-party resellers, as we do not contract with them. Regular Mail: For an additional fee, your tickets will be mailed to you ahead of the event.īox Office Pick Up: You may stop by our Box Office, Monday through Thursday, 10:00am – 4:00pm, Friday 12:00pm – 8:00pm, or Saturday 12:00pm – 4:00pm and have us print your tickets for you. Print at Home: This option allows you to print your tickets at home or access them on a mobile device via email. Will Call: Tickets will be held at “will call” at the Box Office up to one hour before the show. Tickets may be purchased in advance or at the door. To view our seating map for the Historic Academy of Music Theatre, click here.įor more information or to purchase tickets to this performance, contact our Box Office at (434) 846-8499.Īll ticket sales are final. There will be NO REFUNDS or exchanges for purchased tickets. David Robertson conducts a dynamic cast, featuring the sympathetic duo of Eric Owens and Angel Blue in the title roles and an all-star ensemble that includes Golda Schultz, Latonia Moore, Denyce Graves, Frederick Ballentine, Alfred Walker, and Ryan Speedo Green. “If you’re going to stage Gershwin’s opera, this is how,” raved the Guardian when the new production premiered in London in 2018. James Robinson’s stylish production transports audiences to Catfish Row on the Charleston waterfront, vibrant with the music, dancing, emotion, and heartbreak of its inhabitants. One of America’s favorite operas returns to the Met for the first time in nearly 30 years. The Academy Center of the Arts has just announced the Metropolitan Opera HD Broadcast 19-20 season, featuring Porgy and Bess on Saturday, 2/1 at 12:55pm in the Historic Academy of Music Theatre. 2022 National Juried Photography Exhibition.The Academy Artist Expansion Initiative.Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest 21/22 Season.Lynchburg Symphony Orchestra 22/23 Season.Endstation Theatre Company 22/23 Season.The Charlottesville Ballet 22/23 Season.

Porgy and bess met opera