Porgy and Bess at Court Theatre

Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended

"...This "Porgy and Bess" is the latest in a series of collaborations ("Man of La Mancha," "Carousel") between Newell and the gifted young musical director and orchestrator Doug Peck. These shows, many of which have featured the designs of John Culbert, have a consistent, intimate aesthetic: Peck creates a reduced but intensely theatrical orchestration, Culbert designs a sparse, simple environment evoking the essence of the setting but eschewing the traditional signposts of time and place (this production is performed on an off-white platform, evoking the coastal look of the Outer Banks and other islands off the Carolinas, and looked over by huge shutters), and Newell concentrates on probing the relationships between characters."

Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended

"...How do you make the interpretation of an acknowledged musical and theatrical masterpiece feel simultaneously revolutionary and classic? The remarkable production of “Porgy and Bess” that opened Saturday at Court Theatre — a production that is less a “revival” than a deeply brilliant “reinvention” — offers some clues."

Daily Herald - Highly Recommended

"... Music director Doug Peck's artfully revised score — reduced from a full orchestra to a sextet — reveals the music's complexity and its myriad colors. (It's worth noting that Court's production marks the latest collaboration between Newell and Peck, a simpatico duo whose partnership produced such acclaimed shows as “Caroline, or Change” and “Carousel,” another classic refashioned by Peck.)"

Examiner - Highly Recommended

"...Technically, Doug Peck  - Evanston High School, Class of 1999 -  is a shade too old to qualify  as a musical prodigy. But the master re-arranger/orchestrator/composer passes for one in my book. Pair him with Court Theatre’s Artistic Director Charles Newell and a classic American musical , and you’ve got as close to a sure thing as you’re apt to get in the treacherous world of musical theater. Having collaborated on Man of La Mancha, Carousel and Caroline or Change, the duo’s latest offering is a luminous staging of George and Ira Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess. Visually, it might be a shade too luminous – but hold that thought for the moment. Sonically and dramatically, this is a show to be truly treasured."

Windy City Times - Somewhat Recommended

"...However, to my taste, much of the epic dramatic sweep of Porgy and Bess is lost in this Court Theatre adaptation. The physical limitations of the Court's space are often distracting, particularly for some character entrances (notably Todd M. Kryger as the crippled title character of Porgy) and at the end of a few climactic scenes (like the Kittiwah Island aftermath of Crown's rape of Bess)."

Talkin Broadway - Highly Recommended

"...Though the Court's production is by design not a complete performance of the massive score, lovers of this opera can enjoy it as a variation that may increase their appreciation of the text. Newcomers to Porgy and Bess will be treated to a great introduction to this opera that is not performed as frequently as it should be, though that may change. The Court, Newell and Peck have done Gershwin and Porgy lovers an additional service by showing how satisfyingly it can be performed in smaller houses with just a fraction of the singers and musicians that would be expected in the opera world."

Time Out Chicago - Highly Recommended

"...Two decisions on the part of director Newell, along with music director Douglas Peck and artistic consultant Ron OJ Parson, account for this production’s resounding success. First, full attention to Gershwin’s ravishingly chromatic score is invited through minimal staging and the adaptation of the original recitatives; when Porgy (Kryger) and Bess (Rogers) launch into the first act’s “Bess, You Is My Woman Now,” for instance, it has a hypnotic focus closer to the endlessly unfolding modulations of Wagner than to a traditional showtune."

Chicago Theatre Addict - Highly Recommended

"...Charles Newell and Doug Peck. When you get the combination of these two artists working together, something awesome is bound to happen. Such is the case with Court’s powerfully focused production of George and Ira Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess. Newell, as director, has re-imagined this classic folk opera as an intimate ensemble piece, and music director Peck has retooled George Gershwin’s eclectic score to highlight its percussive, sweeping and jazz-influenced soul."

ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended

"...I anticipated an amazing re-invented production Porgy and Bess based on Charles Newell and Doug Peck’s  previous outstanding work with the Caroline , or Change and Carousel at Court Theatre in the last few years.  I was not disappointed. In fact – I was blown away by the production. It was captivating, emotional and heartfelt. Their Porgy and Bess is part folk opera, part musical theatre and part ethnic folk tale."

Chicago Stage and Screen - Recommended

"...Clad in Sunday-white costumes, the 12-member ensemble could not be more supportive, singer-actors who unleash the best in both arts. You feel it in Bethany Thomas’ chillingly lost “My Man’s Gone Now” as much as in Sean Blake’s oily “It Ain’t Necessarily So,” one of many sardonic moments when Sporting Life injects Broadway cynicism into a transplanted African village. As for the silly question of whether the Gershwins and the Heywards had the right to create a “Negro opera,” well, the truth is in the singing."

Let's Play at ChicagoNow - Highly Recommended

"... Director Charles Newell skillfully strips the classic down to the basics. In the center is a stark, white-washed square stage designed by John Culbert. Newell places the orchestra in a semi-circle around it. Next, he has the ensemble, dressed in various white outfits (costume designer Jacqueline Firkins), visible throughout the production. Either on stage or between the stage and the orchestra, the community surrounds the action. The visual is a simplistic stunner. With the sparse surroundings, there is plenty of room for the folk opera to fill the space. And it does! With musical direction led by Doug Peck, the robust lyrical sound permeates the room and seeps into the souls of the inhabitants. Bongos are even added for a primitive, heart-throbbing feel. The passionate communion of songs haunt the audience long after the curtain falls."

Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended

"...The Court is a small venue and the set by John Culbert is very simple, but works, The actors are all dressed in white, again simplistic allowing for the focus to be on what we see and what we hear( costumes by Jacqueline Firkins). Since that is our focu, a special tip of the hat to Brian Scott ( lighting) and Joshua Horvath( sound). Cristin Carole’s movement is the icing on the cake for this marvelous telling on a classic, but with a better understanding of the rituals and traditions of the people and the times. Bravo!"

Chicago Theater Beat - Highly Recommended

"...Court boasts that this production is scrubbed clean of the racist smudges that have dogged Porgy and Bess from its opening night in 1935. I don’t know if I completely agree with that—much of the music still leans towards Europe instead of Africa. But Porgy and Bess is an American treasure, a spunky musical journey that combines stodgy Old World opera with the uniquely American creations of jazz, gospel, and blues. Newell’s production is a treasure in itself, grabbing this overly-familiar piece (“Summertime” is one of the most covered pop song in the world) and thrusting it into relevance."