When George Gershwin wrote Porgy and Bess, he believed himself to be writing an opera – and so by general acceptance he was, although its requirement for coachloads of black singers with the vocal strength to shine in small but spotlit roles makes it a hard one for European opera companies to stage.
As a result, it tends to be presented as a musical with Broadway-style performers (which is no bad thing, given that opera singers can be awkwardly self-conscious in this kind of repertoire). And it’s significant that English National Opera has avoided Porgy until now – with a production that’s a welcome hit after the run of dismal failures that have dogged the company of late.
