Skylight Music Theatre Opens THE GERSHWINS' PORGY AND BESS, 5/17

Skylight Music Theatre will mount a new production of the Gershwin masterpiece Porgy and Bess May 17 through June 9 in the Cabot Theatre at the Broadway Theatre Center (158 N. Broadway, Milwaukee WI).

The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess has been a groundbreaking work ever since its premiere in 1935. With the largest all-black cast ever seen on an American stage up until that point, Porgy and Bess ignited social and racial change as the national tour of 1936 made its way across the country. Most notably when the tour stopped at the still segregated National Theatre in Washington D.C., in which non-white patrons were refused entry. Title role cast members, Todd Duncan and Anne Brown, refused to perform until the theatre relented and allowEd Whites and blacks to sit side-by-side for the first time in the theatre's history.

In 1943, in the midst of World War II, Porgy and Bess premiered overseas in Copenhagen at the Danish Royal Opera. The Nazis immediately tried to close the production, but with heavy security the show became a symbol of resistance to the Nazi occupation of Denmark and sold out numerous performances. Unfortunately, when the Nazis threatened to bomb the theatre the show was finally forced to close.

Prior to the war, in 1942, the work was streamlined and restaged. There were reductions in cast and orchestra which resulted in the first musical theatre version. Since then The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess has also had major revivals in 1952, 1976, 1983 and most recently in 2012. In 1959 MGM released a film version of the musical starring Sidney Poitier and Dorothy Dandridge.

"Porgy & Bess is an iconic opera that many people consider to be George Gershwin's masterpiece, and I am certainly one of those people. But the exciting thing about Skylight's production of this classic American folk opera is the fact that we are able to attempt something rarely seen in other opera house revivals. In the intimacy of the Cabot Theatre, we will create a chamber opera that will allow these characters, the denizens of Catfish Row, to rediscover their journey, which in turn will put them in charge of their own story. In this process, deeper truths will emerge to shine a new light on Porgy & Bess as we simplify, strip away and empower these characters, while at the same time embracing this extraordinarily gorgeous score," says Artistic Director Bill Theisen.

In addition to staging adjustments to accommodate the Cabot Theatre space, production Music Director Richard Carsey (Skylight Artistic Director from 1995 to 2005) gained permission from the Gershwin Estate to create completely new orchestrations for the opera. Using Gershwin's original orchestration as a guide, Carsey has reduced the 30 piece score to 9.

"In essence, I'm re-assigning material from the original instruments to the instruments we have available. In other cases, I'm completely re-conceiving the orchestral sound," says Carsey.

The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess will be the final production for Bill Theisen as Artistic Director. Theisen announced in 2011 that this, the 2012-2013 season would be his last.

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