Porgy and Bess, Birmingham Hippodrome, review

Cape Town Opera transfers Porgy and Bess from South Carolina to Soweto in this vibrant production.

Philisa Sibeko as Clara in Cape Town Opera's Porgy and Bess
Vibrancy:Philisa Sibeko as Clara in Cape Town Opera's Porgy and Bess Credit: Photo: Helen Maybanks

Cape Town Opera’s Porgy and Bess, here briefly in 2009, now returns for a six – week tour. It’s still instructive to see how easily the poverty and segregation at the heart of Gershwin’s 1935 “folk opera”, as he designated it, can be transferred from South Carolina to Soweto.

Michael Mitchell’s set – crumbling building at the centre, corrugated iron and chicken wire round the edges – and costumes manage the shift deftly, and the director Christine Crouse doesn’t shy away from the violence that’s always ready to erupt.

But the very ease of this transposition, and the fact that it’s updated only to the 1970s, makes for a show that is too comfortable. The non – singing white characters are kept at a safe distance by their over – the – top South African or British accents, and true pathos is difficult in a brightly lit Catfish Row with a penchant for song – and – dance spectacular.

Some of the problem lies with Gershwin’s score – his catchy numbers risk bubble – wrapping the gritty tragedy at the opera’s core. And, perversely, the exuberance that characterises Cape Town Opera’s performance occasionally emphasises this feeling, with every member of the cast and chorus singing, dancing and living each number with joyous abandon.

It’s churlish to complain, though, since there’s a payoff in the score’s larger – scaled ensembles. The effect of Arline Jaftha’s heartfelt, big – voiced Serena uniting with the chorus at Robbins’s wake is shattering, for example, and the scene’s subsequent surge towards optimism all – engulfing.

The vibrancy and quality of the choral singing is inspiring throughout, and the company’s strength in depth was demonstrated, when I attended, by a mid – performance substitution. Otto Maidi’s Porgy, singing with gravelly nobility despite a throat infection, was forced to admit defeat after a couple of numbers. Lindile Kula Sr stepped up from the chorus to unveil a handsome, smooth baritone that would grace any opera stage.

The baby – faced Mandisinde Mbuyazwe was too nice to play Crown at first, but found greater menace later on.

Tshepo Moagi, by contrast, had all the dangerous, streetwise charm one could want for Sporting Life. Aubrey Lodewyk was likeable as Jake, and there was no messing with Miranda Tini’s formidable Maria. Albert Horne conducted with unerring assurance, and the big, properly symphonic orchestra sounded wonderful.

Touring, then at the London Coliseum from July 11–21; porgyandbess2012.co.uk