It Ain't Necessarily Soweto ; As Cape Town Opera Prepare for the Premiere of Their New Porgy and Bess, Matt Thomas Chats to the Team Behind the Show and Finds Out That Now Is the Ideal Time and Wales the Ideal Place for Their Latest Production

Summary

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DESPITE boasting one of showbusiness' most hummable tunes, in the shape of Summertime, Porgy and Bess has always been a divisive production. Conceived as an American folk opera, it tells the story of a crippled black man living in the slums of Charleston, South Carolina but has intermittently been decried as racist in the 70 years since it was premiered, with its detractors questioning the worth of Jewish composer George Gershwin and white librettist Du- Bose Heyward's vision of the Deep South.

But now, a brand new production of the opera looks set to cast the show and its politics into a brand new arena.

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Extract

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It Ain't Necessarily Soweto ; As Cape Town Opera Prepare for the Premiere of Their New Porgy and Bess, Matt Thomas Chats to the Team Behind the Show and Finds Out That Now Is the Ideal Time and Wales the Ideal Place for Their Latest Production

Cape Town Opera is bringing its version of Porgy and Bess to Europe with its world premiere being held at the Wales Millennium Centre, before heading off to London and Edinburgh.

According to creative director Christine Crouse, the company ...

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