Chicago Sun Times - Recommended
"...Battles still flare when opera companies present American musicals. But the fight over George Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess” seems to have been won. Labeled a “folk opera” at its 1935 premiere and initially presented in legitimate theaters, “Porgy” has found a warm welcome in American and European opera houses."
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...This season Lyric has brought that same, busily choreographed Francesca Zambello production back. The strong, mostly new cast includes baritone Eric Owens as a mature and memorable Porgy; baritone Eric Greene as his convincingly explosive nemesis, Crown; and soprano Adina Aaron, in an able Lyric debut as the dicey redheaded woman, Bess. There's a treasure trove of outstanding performances by the huge supporting cast and chorus. Ward Stare conducts."
Chicago Stage Review - Recommended
"...Despite the entire package of top-notch production values, powerful dramatic performances, skillful and evocative choreography, excellent singing (by cast and the Lyric Opera Chorus); one must recognize that the biggest star of Porgy and Bess is its amazing score. With inspiration drawn from soaring Gospel choruses, soulful spirituals, and 1920′s roadhouse jazz, Gershwin’s music is uniquely vibrant and 100% American. Dynamic young conductor Ward Stare (a former principal trombonist with the Lyric Opera Orchestra) has a deep affinity for this music and for the players, his former colleagues. He is able to draw a phenomenal performance of Gershwin’s work from the Lyric Orchestra. It embodies a subtlety and style that many in the audience have never encountered in this music before. Who knew there was so much soul in that orchestra pit? Lyric Opera of Chicago’s current season continues to surprise and inspire us."
Gapers Block - Highly Recommended
"...At its core Porgy & Bess is a tragedy, but it does offer a glimmer of hope. In the final moments of the opera Porgy resolves to go to New York to find Bess, who has been spirited away by Sportin' Life in his absence. Porgy asks where Bess has gone, and fearing the worst, he asks if she's dead. "It's worse than that, Porgy," comes the answer, "she's in New York!" I can't help but wonder if that's a self-deprecating joke by Gershwin, a lifelong New Yorker. The music and story of Porgy & Bess stuck with me long after I'd left the opera house, and if you're lucky enough to catch this production, it will do the same for you."
ShowBizChicago - Recommended
"...However the real star of the evening is the iconic American composer George Gershwin who has penned a gorgeous, complex and memorable score with hints of Wagner and Strauss, utilizing a Strum and Drang structure that keeps you engaged throughout. If you have never seen a production of Porgy & Bess you should go just for the music and experience of seeing one of the only African-American operas in existence."
Chicago On the Aisle - Highly Recommended
"...In the end, of course, "Porgy and Bess" comes down to those improbable lovers, thrown together by circumstance only to be separated again by reality as Bess understands the concept. And yet one feels very much in the presence of true lovers as Aaron delivers a heart-felt "I Loves You, Porgy" and Owens' proud protector of this beauty-in-need declares ardently: "Bess, You Is My Woman Now." Owens also transfigures one of the show's greatest hits, "I Got Plenty o' Nuttin'," into an exultant anthem-cum-aria."
Stage and Cinema - Recommended
"...Fortunately, Porgy and Bess shows no signs of disappearing into oblivion but all the signs of being fully accepted into the canon, despite recurring criticisms of the opera as racist. Wisely and stubbornly, the Gershwins have always insisted that the cast be exclusively black, with the exception of the white speaking roles. It really wouldn't work any other way."
ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended
"...The show has true opera voices from bass baritones to tenors to mezzo-sopranos with a cast of world class singers completely at home with their characters. Adina Aaron’s Bess and Eric Owens’ Porgy produced an electrifying spark that ignites the opera. Eric Greene’s Crown effectively presents the evil brute while Jermaine Smith’s Sporting Life is the eerie devil figure. Porgy and Bess truthfully depicts hopelessness of rural Southern Black life as it vividly portrays the drinking, drug use, gambling and sexual attacks as part of life. It also depicts the raising spirit and religious fever of the community. We understand their frailty, their strength, and their humanity as we empathize with these simple folks. We do all this to the gorgeous soothing melodic music of George Gershwin.
You can’t can leave Porgy And Bess without being mesmerized and enchanted by the characters and the infectious Gershwin score. This opera is a memorable experience. Don’t miss this special opera."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...“Porgy and Bess” is America’s opera and Lyric Opera of Chicago is proud to present the Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess as part of their 60th season. This wonderful production demonstrates that Porgy and Bess is unquestionably at its most persuasive when performed in an opera house with all the vocal, orchestral, and visual resources that a major opera company can provide."
Chicago Theatre Review - Recommended
"...Audiences desiring the full, original look and sound of Gershwin’s monumental classic need look no further than this spectacular production at the Lyric. In almost every way it fulfills its promise for a “Porgy and Bess” that will live in the opera lover’s heart. However, for theatergoers not used to an over three hour extravaganza, which can challenge one’s attention span and difficult to sit through, this may not be the production for you. For all its criticism, the recent Diane Paulus version, which sharply divided New York opera lovers from Broadway musical aficionados, may be more to the liking of the general public. For all of those in between, “It Ain’t Necessarily So.”"
Chicagoland Theater Reviews - Highly Recommended
"...I have seen several revivals of "Porgy and Bess," ranging from a chamber adaptation at the Court Theatre to a massive staging at the Auditorium Theatre, and I was usually bored by a book I thought was ponderous and melodramatic. The Lyric production is the first I've seen that fully captures the power of the Gershwin classic beyond a reprise of the famous songs. The singing is glorious throughout but the impact of the story cements this production as a joy."
The Fourth Walsh - Recommended
"...Aaron’s complex portrayal of Bess brought a dimensionality to the character that I’ve never experienced before. Through Aaron, I experienced Bess with much more empathy. In other productions, I’ve seen Bess as using Porgy. In this show, I was invested in the steadfast love between Aaron and Eric Owens (Porgy). Owens charms as the lovestruck hero. He sings a content and peppy “I got plenty of nothing.” Later, he sings a heartfelt “Bess, you is my woman now.” Owens beautifully conveys a no-strings-attached, unconditional love. When Aaron is with Owens and even when she’s not, I see them together, a shared destiny. I haven’t always perceived the reciprocal love and need in the pairing of Porgy and Bess. Owens and Aaron makes me a believer in the eternal coupling."
