Broadway’s upcoming revival of the 1935 opera Porgy and Bess — featuring a new ending and fleshed out backstories for the characters — already has one vocal critic: Stephen Sondheim. On Tuesday, the New York Times received a letter from the legendary composer-lyricist, in which he bashes the new production’s plans for revamping the classic show. “[T]here is a difference between reinterpretation and wholesale rewriting,” wrote Sondheim, who added that the new work should call itself Diane Paulus’s Porgy and Bess, after its new director, instead of its current title, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess. (Sondheim also noted that this title negates the role of librettist and lyricist DuBose Heyward.)
The producers of the new show aren’t staying quiet. Today, they sent an official statement on the matter to EW, maintaining their support for the production and their respect for the show’s authors — including Heyward. “The entire creative team and cast have the most enormous love and respect for Porgy and Bess, and we are grateful for the support and encouragement we have received from the Gershwin and Heyward Estates for this production.”
The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, which will star Audra MacDonald and Norm Lewis, starts previews Dec. 17 in Broadway’s Richard Rodgers Theatre.
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Stephen Sondheim is still alive?! Had no idea
Now you have an idea. It goes to show how ignorant people are who comment on something they barely have any clue what’s it all about.
You are absolutely right. I don’t have the slightest clue about Stephen Sondheim… and I’m quite happy about that.
I have no issue with reinterpreting pieces of work, however I agree with Sondheim, don’t call it “Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess” if it’s strictly not.
I idolize Stephen Sondheim but I didn’t love the letter — I don’t think it was necessart to publically slam a production he hasn’t seen this way. Everyone is entitled to their opinion…not everyone holds Porgy and Bess in as high esteem as he does. He did make a lot of good points though, and the best one is about the title. Personally, if they are changing the show/ending that much, they should change the name. Call it Summertime. P&G has never had a financially successful production on Broadway so it’s not like there is THAT much equity in the name. If anything, it may turn people away. And I agree that it shouldb’t be called Gershwin’s P&G.
What’s P&G? Porgy and Guess? Proctor and Gamble?
typo =)
Of course the producers of the show are going to “maintain their support” for the show they are producing. What are they supposed to do? Agree with Sondheim and risk hundreds of thousands of dollars in ticket sales?
Sondheim’s point seems accurate. This is not just a minor tweaking or a re-interpretation. It is changing what has been known as that piece. Unless the production team has found documentation of the changes they are making in the Gershwin or Heyward.archives and papers, then it is NOT “Gershwin’s” P&B. The are creating pieces of this out of whole cloth. (You’ll notice that the producers did not say in their statement that they had found the material in the archives, but merely that they had received support from the Estates… that’s a big difference.) This is unlike when a revival is done and there is rewriting done with permission or by the original authors/composers. Just having the approval of the Estates doesn’t make it any more legitimate.
I find this fascinating considering as recently as January of this year NY Magazine named Porgy & Bess one of the top 10 musicals of all time and specifically cited Bess’s position as outsider (character develpment?) as one of the strengths of the piece.
Team Sondheim.
Jealous, Stephen?
Given that Sondheim’s own FOLLIES is now transferring to Broadway after a well-received D.C. engagement, I don’t think he has anything to be ‘jealous’ about.
Don’t think they should change a timeless classic like Porgy & Bess. Love the song , Summertime! Fantasia sang it when she was on American Idol.
If ever revival was like what came before, theater would die. Nothing this revival can do takes away anything from the original version, or from future versions. If the estate is ok with them tweaking scenes, they have the right to try it out. It may fail, it may be brilliant, but they deserve the right to try. I’d rather see a misguided disaster than the same old thing. For the record, Porgy and Bess is not a perfect show — I saw it twice and was bored both times (though the performances were great). Maybe it’s me, or maybe they have a point about tweaking it to resonate more with a modern audience. Let them try,
As an art purist, I believe any work of art should never be “tweaked”, because it’s created by a particular artist for a particular reason at a particular time. But, if the producers have been given the opportunity to tinker with a work of art by the owner (or family of the owner)of it, so be it. Just differentiate it in some way from the original work.
I am deeply grateful to Mr. Sondheim for articulating the deep problems with the attitude that the work of the Gershwins and Dubose Heyward needs any ‘help’ from contemporary artists beyond possessing a deep respect for the work as written. ‘Porgy and Bess’ is the single greatest work in the American Musical Theatre and it will survive this ‘improvement’ and be around for centuries long after this current crop crop of revisionists have been relegated to the dustbin of history and misbegotten ideas.
Rewrite Gerschwin? I guess the creative team and the producers can’t or Refuse to have the courage to lose their money on something brand new so they have to take a classic and tweak it??!!! Where r the black authors, lyricists and writers ? I know there are great talented people out there who can come up w something original and great if given the chance
How about a white creative team and producers tweaking some great black musicals? Audra McDonald should b assumed of herself- I can’t believe she needs the money or the work that bad.
300 years ago some other “modern thinking” idiots tried to give King Lear a happy ending. Thankfully great work lasts and asinine re-writes don’t.
Mr. Sonheim’s musicals have never struck me as being high culture. They’re no more and no less, in my opinion, then well crafted, middlebrow entertainment. So I don’t see him as an expert on what true art is, or on whether a Gershwin production is tasteful or not.