Washington National Opera - Porgy and Bess
Francesca Zambello's critically acclaimed adaptation of the Gershwin classic
Few who see the production will awake the next day without many of its unforgettable memories still resounding in their heads.
Bach Track
Few who see the production will awake the next day without many of its unforgettable memories still resounding in their heads.
Bach Track
Washington National Opera - Porgy and Bess
Francesca Zambello's critically acclaimed adaptation of the Gershwin classic
Why see Washington National Opera - Porgy and Bess?
Summertime and the livin' is easy
Fresh from touring the world's finest opera houses, American opera director Francesca Zambello's critically acclaimed adaptation of George Gershwin's folk opera masterpiece Porgy and Bess returns to the Washington National Opera in 2024. Marrying music with action, energy and passion, Zambello has been universally praised for breathing new life into one of the greatest American musicals of the 20th century.
Unforgettable spiritual and folk-tinged tunes like Summertime and It Ain't Necessarily So punctuate the love story of crippled beggar Porgy and the fiery Bess. When Bess' possessive lover Crown kills a man during a fight he started, he runs away, leaving Bess to fend for herself. All the other inhabitants on Catfish Row in Charleston, South Carolina refuse to give her shelter save for Porgy and their ensuing romance is threatened by Bess' past struggles with drugs and the wrong people.
Key Information
Run Time
Three hours with one interval
Dates
May 23 - 31, 2025
Cast
Michael Sumuel as Porgy
Reginald Smith as Porgy
Brittany Renee as Bess
Alyson Cambridge as Bess
Denyce Graves asMaria
Chauncey Packer as Sportin' Life
Norman Garrett as Crown
Kenneth Kellogg as Crown
Vuvu Mpofu as Clara
Ben Taylor as Jake
Amber Monroe as Serena
Creative
Kwamé Ryan as Conductor
Francesca Zambello as Director
Eric Sean Fogel as Associate Director & Choreographer
Peter J. Davison as Original Set Designer
Paul Tazewell as Original Costume Designer
Mark McCullough as Original Lighting Designer
Upcoming Performances
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