The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess — Inside the Rehearsal Room #2

Today, we have commandeered the A.R.T. DeLorean and zipped back in time, all the way to mid-July. The jackhammer crews outside the Loeb Drama Center had not yet begun their jackhammering. The living was easy. And Assistant Director Mia Walker was blogging.

Like an archaeological artifact from a simpler time, here is Mia’s second post from the rehearsal room:

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Here we are, going into the third week of rehearsals for The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess. For the last two weeks, we rehearsed in NYC in rehearsal studios, going through the script and music. It was a rigorous process (a special shout-out to our music director David Loud for being a rock star), but everyone sounds wonderful and the actors really had the chance to explore their characters. For the first week,the cast went through the show song by song, and we presented a lot of visual research to help bring the world of Catfish Row, South Carolina to life. We found images of street vendors, fishermen, women smoking pipes, church sessions, cotton workers, the list goes on – so they have been posted up all over the walls to help vivify these characters and this time (1930s). This early period of rehearsals has been as much about connecting with the world of the show as it has been about learning music and dialogue.

At the beginning of the second week, as an acting exercise, Diane had each member of the cast do a presentation on their character – involving music, and answering questions about their background and desires. It was incredible to see these characters take shape and have pasts and futures. For example, the actor playing Crown (Phillip Boykin) presented a story he invented about Crown’s past, which led to him being so angry and violent. It was an incredibly moving childhood story that made me, as a spectator, completely connect with Crown’s character. It made him human, rather than simply a villain. I don’t think anyone will ever forget these presentations, as we move forward in the process. They added dimension and humanity to each character—rather than the show being the sum of Catfish Row, it’s really a moment in these people’s lives, a slice of reality of 1930s Charleston. These presentations will undeniably affect the spirit of this show, so that was pretty amazing to witness.

Now, we begin rehearsals in Cambridge, MA, where we can finally get on our feet. The exciting and very unique thing about this process is that we will be able to rehearse directly on the set starting now. (!!!) Over the past two weeks, Ron K. Brown, our choreographer, has started to choreograph the big numbers. I had the chance to interview him and asked him what image stands out to him most when he choreographs this production of Porgy and Bess. This is what he described:

“In St. Helena, in the Sea Islands, there’s the first school for free slaves, called the Penn Center. And when I was down there in 2001, I was looking at this quilt. Burlap and purple, hanging on the wall. Kids were running around, because it was school time and they were on a school trip. So there were people in this small building admiring this quilt. An elder, maybe 72 years old said “you like that quilt?” I said, “I love that quilt.” He said “I made that quilt.” So, there’s something about the energy of the young people running around and this elder telling me that he created this thing. There’s a balance of responsibility there. That’s something that stands out for me in this production. The opportunity to bring the richness of this collage to these young people. Can you imagine that? These kids running around this center, and the guy that made this quilt standing in the room. So I feel like that image is something that is really rich for me. I imagine young people coming to see this production and saying, “oh wow.” Even the teenagers saying “I know that song from Fantasia…”

I also spoke with Audra McDonald, Norm Lewis, Nikki Renée Daniels, Phillip Boykin, Joshua Henry, and David Alan Grier about what it means to them to be doing this production of Porgy and Bess. While I learned much about these actors, I also saw a common thread among them: they all have a very special connection with this piece. Phillip grew up with an old album of Porgy and Bess, which ultimately led him to become a singer. He said,

“When I was a little boy, my uncle had the album of Porgy and Besswith Leontyne Price and William Warfield on it… Growing up in West Greenville, South Carolina, I looked at these two wonderful black African-American people on the cover of an album, and something in me just turned on right away. And I thought, if they can do this and be on the cover of an album singing opera (I didn’t know what it was at that time) then I can do it.”

Nikki, our Clara, said she has been singing Summertime since she was 14, and David Alan Grier (Sporting Life), said his father has always talked about Porgy and Bess ever since he saw Avon Long perform Sporting Life in the 1940s. Audra McDonald spoke about always wanting to play Bess, but realizing that this is the perfect time to play her—that she needed to have lived a little in order to really connect with Bess’s character. According to Audra, “Bess is someone really looking to find the truth of who they are…and use their own strength to move on and to fully realize who they are. Bess is someone who is trying to find the strength to do that.”

This is clearly an incredibly inspiring cast, with much to say about the legacy of Porgy and Bess and why now, in 2011, Porgy and Bess has a special place in the heart of musical theater. For the full interviews of Audra, Norm, Phillip, David, Josh, Nikki, and Ron, check out the videos!

Onward to the next phase of rehearsals! Let the staging begin…

Mia

Author: Brendan Shea

Publication date: August 2, 2011

Featured Comment: Assistant Director Mia Walker’s second post from rehearsals of The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess is brimming with exclusive tidbits on the upcoming production.

Events: The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess

Venue: Loeb Drama Center