Posted on 02/21/2019 12:22:00 PM PST by bgill
The Metropolitan Opera will hire an all-black outside chorus next season for its first presentation in nearly three decades of the Gershwins' "Porgy and Bess," which opens the season on Sept. 23. Performances of "Porgy and Bess," which premiered in 1935, are licensed by the Gershwin family, which specifies an all-black cast. "Certainly it's more complicated, but it's worth the complications because it's such a great piece," Met general manager Peter Gelb. "Porgy," by George and Ira Gershwin, and DuBose and Dorothy Heyward, depicts a beggar in a poor African-American community of Charleston, South Carolina. When the Met presented "Porgy" for the first time in 1985, it also hired an outside chorus - at the time, there were three black members of the Met's regular chorus of 81. That has increased to six in a group of approximately the same total now, the Met said. "I think the Met is regarded as an institution that is colorblind when it comes to casting," Gelb said. "We have many African-Americans and other black artists who are appearing on our stage in major roles."
(Excerpt) Read more at kxan.com ...
Yeah, should be Whites and Asians cast. Fair is fair now.
Can’t wait for a rousing rendition of “I rubs you, Porgy.”
It would be more fun if it was all whites in black face.
Capital idea. VA Demonrat Governor Wreck-It Ralph Northam and the Atty Gen Mark Herring can kick off the show in their best Al Jolson facial shoeshine.
In other news, the remake of “Lassie” will feature Collies.
Claims of "white-face"?
I think a reinterpretation of Porgy and Bess as upper class white socialists would bring the message of that play to a new audience and inspire discourse.
Liberals can sell their BS to someone stupid enough to believe their garbage... In the Jim Crow South, white racists virtue signaled each other constantly - while treating fellow humans like dogs. What was their virtue? Great southern food and gracious entertaining - all whild treating fellow humans worse than their dogs.
Pre-WorldWar II Germans judged each other as wonderful people based on neat houses, orderly families and attractive flower boxes. All while putting humans in ovens. They can take their 'virtue signaling and shove it too.
Today fake hate crimes are done by the hundreds of ' liberals' against Trump Supporters - with the glee and tackiness of today's comic Non Sequitur by Wiley Miller. Hey kids, color this Easter Egg...
No, I don't give a damn about these phony liberals and their BS virtue signaling. If they want to do something nice - fine but they don't have to puff up themselves and tell the world how wonderful they are --- when we know who they really are....
Liberals can sell their BS to someone stupid enough to believe their garbage... In the Jim Crow South, white DEMOCRAT racists virtue signaled each other constantly - while treating fellow humans like dogs. What was their virtue? Great southern food and gracious entertaining - all whild treating fellow humans worse than their dogs.
Pre-WorldWar II Germans judged each other as wonderful people based on neat houses, orderly families and attractive flower boxes. All while putting humans in ovens. They can take their 'virtue signaling and shove it too.
Today fake hate crimes are done by the hundreds of ' liberals' against Trump Supporters - with the glee and tackiness of today's comic Non Sequitur by Wiley Miller. Hey kids, color this Easter Egg...
No, I don't give a damn about these phony liberals and their BS virtue signaling. If they want to do something nice - fine but they don't have to puff up themselves and tell the world how wonderful they are --- when we know who they really are....
“Porgy and Bess”
I thought it was Orgy with Bess.
Actually the Wikipedia page on porgy and Bess is really interesting.
The opera was originally condemned by African Americans as demeaning and stayed that way until the 50s when attitudes changed and Gershwin (the white guy) was praised for his progressive attitudes about black musicals and that only THEY could sing a jazz opera.
I find with today’s revisionist history that Gershwin would be found guilty of cultural appropriation as we should be fully back to condemning this opera
Maybe there’’s an opera company in Virginia that would like to do that
Isn't that racist?
Against non-black fellers and gals?
Seems like that's their position.
All blacks only? Sounds real discriminatory and without a doubt, racist, to me.
Or maybe I just haven't read the democRAT handbook on what's approved misconduct on their side.
My bad. :-)
I’ll be surprised if the modern Left doesn’t raise a stink over Porgy and Bess no matter who is cast in it. You know, a racist creation of white men full of stereotypes of black people, etc., etc.
The opera is set in the black section of Charleston, so the chorus needs to be black.
But the company will welcome white ticket buyers. Wonder how they would do if they limited tickets to only blacks?
Actually, George was respected by blacks. When George quit school to plug songs on Tin Pan Alley, he would hang around the Cotton Club and other such places in the afternoons to sit down at "cutting contests" playing "jig piano" again the great black ragtime pianists of the day. One day, young Eubie Blake heard Gershwin play and said, "You, know, he plays pretty good -- for a white boy."
The reality is that every black who is qualified to sing in the metropolitan opera chorus it’s already in the chorus, which is mostly white. That means an all black chorus will be comprised of lesser singers. Congratulations!
But don’t you dare cast Alexander Hamilton with a black man. That would be racist.
“PORGY AND BESS” is one of the GREAT American productions...and it IS an Opera, rather than a musical...
The Houston Grand Opera performed the complete Opera in 1977. I saw it three times during it’s original run; this is the production that made the world sit up and recognize this creative work...it was outstanding.. although this production was not filmed, The studio recording of this cast was released on 3 lps in a boxed set.. you can hear it.. Here’s the Spotify link - https://open.spotify.com/album/7dxfSXEyhauxtmyVKOvvpd?si=5IHEVABHRqWV36_mEq6SHQ
No one doubts that George Gershwin was a creative musical genius; but,, THIS..this was his masterpiece.
Here’s “PORGY AND BESS” as performed by the New York City Opera in 2002..(I taped it, then put it on youtube several years ago) Enjoy!~ https://youtu.be/HdRTfqGy9TE
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