The Gershwins' Porgy And Bess: It Ain't Necessarily Bad

Audra McDonald and Norm Lewis

I'll be honest, I am not a huge fan of behemoth Broadway productions. I like small plays. I like musicals, too, but I prefer smaller ones. So it's surprising that I've decided to see the upcoming Broadway production of The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess. I mean, come on, it stars Norm Lewis as Porgy, Audra McDonald as Bess, and David Alan Grier as Sportin' Life. Caught my attention!

There's enough controversy surrounding this upcoming production to make a theatre-lover salivate. First, there was Patrick Healy's testy article, Stephen Sondheim's churlish response, and over 500 hateful, knee-jerk comments in support of Sondheim's letter. Reading those comments disturbed me. People were ready to hate a production that hasn't opened because of Sondheim's concerns. 

This reminded me of the hateful responses to the proposed Islamic Community Center in New York City. It was useless to point out that 1) it's a community center, not a mosque, 2) Muslims died in the horror of Nine-Eleven, and 3) people of Islamic faith live in, and contribute to, this community every day. Hate, born of fear, reigns supreme.

Aside from Mayor Bloomberg (big surprise!), politicians did little to stem the dyspeptic dialogue around this issue. The media covered it in a haphazard manner, and public outcry fueled the fury. In much the same way, thoughtless naysayers jumped on Stephen Sondheim's bandwagon, many deciding that the show was offensive before even one preview performance. Some decided not to see the show at all. And therein lies our biggest problem. In refusing to stop, think, and allow our worldview to expand, we hold on to learned responses with a death grip.

I plan to see the show with an open mind when it comes to Broadway. Reviews of the Cambridge production are positive. Here's hoping the hard-asses relent and give it a chance.