We had the pleasure and privilege of watching Porgy and Bess on Broadway Tuesday night, or as we jokingly told our friend – Porgy And The Coke Harlot!
The show was so pleasurable on so many levels! Hearing a full orchestra on Broadway is divine! But, what was most spectacular were those voices! And the performances!
EVERYONE in the cast was truly truly astounding! Even David Alan Grier, whom we only knew from In Living Color but has a great voice and stellar acting chops!
As the lead characters, Norm Lewis and Audra McDonald were masterful! Both of them! We just sat there in awe! Both of them!!!
McDonald’s part is so vocally challenging! And she makes it seem effortless! So exquisitely controlled and passionate! We don’t know how she does it for that many shows a week!
It was such a treat to get to see her live! The last thing we saw her in was Ragtime a hella long time ago! And the last time we had the pleasure of seeing Lewis on Broadway was when he was in Side Show, which is one of our top 3 musicals of all time!
The entire supporting cast was splendid as well!
Changes were made to the Gershwin classic, at the behest of the estate, and we are glad. There is no “happy ending”, though it does feel more upbeat than the original. And, thankfully, instead of the four hour running time, this version was trimmed to a little less than three hours.
Three magnificent, drama-filled hours of musicality and beauty!
Porgy And Bess is a must-see! Congratulations to Audra McDonald and Norm Lewis on their very well-deserved Tony nominations!
Related Posts
-
Categories
