Sharman Yarnell for Curtains Up
What a set – what incredible voices! They have done Gershwin proud –
Measha Brueggergosman as Bess was outstanding, catching every moment through her voice, personality and acting technique.
Kenneth Overton as ‘Porgy’ has a kind sympathetic persona and gentle demeanor – his voice is truly pitched but one might feel the strength of his persona somewhat lacking in projection.
Lester Lynch is equally sly and villainous as ‘Crown’ especially in the scene on the island. He puts in a strong, dynamic performance and holds the stage throughout as a master villain. (If this were a true melodrama, the audience would have hissed and booed at his every appearance.)
I particularly enjoyed Catherine Anne Daniel as the pipe toting ‘Maria’ – she created a wonderful character and melded it beautifully with her voice. Another stand out performance was that of Jermaine Smith as ‘Sportin’ Life’ who has performed the role in Japan, Germany, Sweden, Austria, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain and the Canary Islands. He was clearly in tune with the role and was enjoying his every moment on stage.
Though somewhat lacking in the acting experience, The Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir makes up for it with its usual joyous sound.
But where was the director in all of this? (Lemuel Wade)This is one of the most disorganized, large cast productions I have ever seen. Many times found the cast lumbering onto the stage en mass, gathering into a crowd with sets and back drops changing – no bridge music during this time. This almost forces the opera into, in fact, a concert presentation of Gershwin’s work – not a good thing for this production. Very poorly directed. During these large scenes, it was difficult to see who was singing! (Note to director: You don’t always have to have the full cast on stage. Some of the singing can be done backstage.)
The lighting by Anne-Catherine Simard-Deraspe did little to help the viewer focus on particular moments with lead actors in the midst of the crowd. The overall lighting, however, painted a wonderful scene true to the soul of the story.
The costumes by Judy Dearing were also strikingly explicit of the times and place.(Loved ‘Sportin’ Life’s’ pink suit!)
The show opens with a view of a beautifully designed set (Kenneth Foy) of a courtyard in which much of the story takes place. To put it in the words of the person sitting next to me “awesome”! As time went on, it was clear that the set was cumbersome to change – there was a half-hour intermission and shortly after the audience was into the second half of the show (the set had been changed to the island scene), a sign appeared saying that there would be a three minute break and not to leave our seats. (Set change back to the courtyard.) All these changes were done in such a way that they broke the momentum of the show.
However, the show is highly worth seeing for the voices and the wonderfully created characters. Totally sold out at the moment – anyone wishing to see the show would have to call the box office daily for cancellations.
The voices and Gershwin’s music will NOT let you down.
