Cotuit Center for The Arts Presents PORGY & BESS, 3/5-3/7

The Gershwin's
PORGY & BESS

By George Gershwin, DuBose and Dorothy Heyward
and Ira Gershwin

PORGY & BESS:
Music & Stories

An Evening of Music & Stories from America's great folk opera at Cotuit Center for the Arts

In recognition of the 75th anniversary of Porgy & Bess, Cotuit Center for the Arts will present Porgy & Bess: Music & Stories, four staged concerts featuring selected arias and ensemble pieces from the famous folk opera. This will be the premier performance of this show on Cape Cod with a two piano arrangement,Porgy and Bess: Fantasy for Two Pianos, arranged by Percy Grainger, performed by Jared McMurray and Robert Wyatt, which will punctuate the individual performances. Throughout the evening, Dr. Wyatt will also present information focusing on the historical and cultural significance of the opera. Repertoire will include: "Summertime," "My Man's Gone Now," "I Got Plenty of Nuttin,'" "Bess, You Is My Woman," "It Ain't Necessarily So," "I Loves You, Porgy" and "There's A Boat Leavin' Soon For New York."

Porgy & Bess, an "American folk opera," opened in New York City's Alvin Theatre on October 10, 1935. George Gershwin, his brother Ira and co-librettists and lyricists DuBose and Dorothy Heyward, crafted an intense musical drama that ultimately spawned a furious debate about authenticity, musical style and form, racial prejudice and national identity. The music and lyrics have survived more that 70 years and the work's stature is unsurpassed in the American operatic repertoire.

Each performance of Porgy & Bess: Music & Stories will be preceded by a lecture given by Professor Morgan James "Mwalim" Peters, who is cast as Sportin' Life in the show, entitled 'It Ain't Necessarily So:' the legacy of white fantasies, the Black experience, and the importance of Black Theater. Audiences are invited to participate in a question and answer session with the entire cast following each performance.

DATES:
Friday, March 5, 2010
7:00 pm lecture; 8:00 pm performance

Saturday, March 6, 2010
3:00 pm lecture; 4:00 pm performance
7:00 pm lecture; 8:00 pm performance

Sunday, March 7, 2010
1:00 pm lecture; 2:00 pm performance

Tickets: $30, $25 CCftA Members/Seniors, $12 Students

Purchase tickets online by visiting
www.CotuitCenterForTheArts.org
or call the Box Office at 508-428-0669

 

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