(Porgy himself, incidentally, is not the picturesque paraplegic with a goat usually seen in this work: he may walk slowly, with a limp and a crutch, but he's hardly defenseless.) Because Gershwin's magnum opus is getting a lot of performances in a short time mdash; a dozen between May 4 and May 20 mdash; Los Angeles Opera has double-cast the main roles. Kevin Short and Morenike Fadayomi alternate with Alfred Walker and Indira Mahajan as Porgy and Bess.
Lester Lynch and Terry Cook share the role of Crown; Victor Ryan Robertson and Jermaine Smith take turns as Sportin' Life; Laquita Mitchell and Alyson Cambridge alternate as Clara; Angela Simpson and Monique McDonald share the role of Serena. On the podium is John DeMain, music director of nearby Opera Pacific (based at the Orange County Performing Arts Center) and of the Madison Symphony in Wisconsin. DeMain has history with this score mdash; in fact, he made history with this score.
He conducted the 1976 Houston Grand Opera production that restored Porgy and Bess to its original length and reclaimed it for the opera stage, and he was on the podium for the 2002 New York City Opera production that was broadcast on national television. More details on L.A.
Opera's Porgy and Bess are available, as are tickets, at www.losangelesopera.com.
All photos by Robert Millard for Los Angeles Opera.
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