An overpowering mass of pure vocal sound combined with heart-melting harmonies reverberated off the walls of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion Friday evening, reminding Los Angeles audience members of the magnitude of Gershwin’s unforgotten and great American folk opera, Porgy and Bess.

The piece takes place in ‘20s South Carolina where the beautiful Bess is torn between the love of the crippled beggar Porgy and her addiction to Sporting Life’s “happy dust.” At the opera’s end, Porgy heads to New York to search for Bess, and the curtain closes just as it opened—to the Catfish community continuing to live their lives despite their racial hardships.

Gershwin himself, a white southerner, was fascinated with black culture and the burgeoning Harlem jazz scene, hence the piece’s rich blend of gospel, blues, and jazz musical styles. As a result of the composer’s ambitions to broaden opportunities for African Americans, opera companies worldwide continue to mandate Gershwin’s original wish, that every production must have an all-black chorus and cast.

“It is a community, and bad things happen in communities. You have people from different whops of life—men that are committing crimes, good guys, disabled people, and loose women,” said Alfred Walker, who is playing Porgy in L.A. Opera’s current production. “People should try to not see it in just one way—that it is pure racism.”

From the stage to the cinema, and for eclectic audiences ranging from the Nazis in World War II to the Society Union in the postwar era, Porgy and Bess has been successful across mediums. As well as for opera houses including Vienna’s Volksopera, Milan’s La Scala, the Metropolitan Opera, and now L.A. Opera has taken on this daunting task.

While the universal story is one that can be understood by all, when Porgy and Bess debuted, the opera was seen as a work that did nothing but perpetuate stereotypes. To this day, many view the piece as a racist show, because it portrays the seamiest side of African American life, especially in its depiction of stereotypical characters that range from the dangerous dealer-hustler Sporting Life to the unintelligent crippled Porgy.

“The reason I accepted Porgy, and I have been singing professionally for ten years, is that I thought that I should establish myself as a singer that could sing other things first, because when you start to do it too much, you get locked into that role,” said Walker.

What Walker describes is commonly referred to by African American male performers in the classical realm as the “Porgy and Bess Syndrome.” Unfortunately, the image of the black male in society, as well as on the opera stage today, connotes a threat on many levels—real and imagined.

At the same time, Walker recognized the redeeming and universal human qualities of the role of Porgy, “He thinks he will never find love, and he does in Bess and he forgives her even when she goes away. Porgy shows us all that you think your life is going to go one way, and it goes in a totally different direction.”

Porgy and Bess is more than the racist disease critics have given it; Gershwin celebrates the powerful sound of the human voice. He demonstrates that every character counts—from Clara’s sumptuous voice humming “Summertime,” to an ensemble member belting a tune about her fresh strawberries.

“I know the audience will see ‘great black singers,’ and I understand that, because it is physically impossible not to; I just hope after the first five minutes, they can look passed it and see ‘great singers,’” said Walker. “This is very demanding music, and just about every role takes a talented artist, regardless of color.”

PORGY AND BESS
Where: Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles.
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday, Tuesday, May 10, 11, 15, 17, 18, 8 p.m. May 19, 2 p.m. May 13, 16, 1 p.m. May 20.
Tickets: $35 to $220. (213) 972-8001. www.LAOpera.com.

Danielle Jacoby

Photo Credit: Robert Millard