Last night on U.  S.  TV, NY City Opera presented something they called
Gershwin's Porgy and Bess.  Once again, Someone Who Knew Better mutilated
one of the great operas -- not a great American opera, not a great modern
opera, but a great opera.  They had a trio of apologists, including
(shame!) Robert Kimball, all saying that Gershwin himself cut the opera.
This is true, but Gershwin had the excuse of circumstance.  First, he had
no understudy for the first Porgy, Todd Duncan.  Second, his venue was a
Broadway theater and a Broadway producing company -- the Theater Guild --
which meant 8 performances a week, a killer schedule, and a shortened
audience expectation of time, 3 hours at the outside.

However, Gershwin looked forward to the time when the opera would be
given whole.  And the City Opera hasn't got Gershwin's circumstances, and
therefore hasn't got the excuse.  They would be horrified (or maybe not)
if they had done this to a standard work.  At least they would have cut
with more care.  Whoever did this went through the opera with a lawnmower.
They cut out some of the most interesting musical moments (especially in
the burial scene) and kept such weak episodes as Lawyer Frazier.  It's the
equivalent of bait-and-switch.  People now think they have seen and heard
Porgy and Bess and are forming opinions of Gershwin's effort based on what
they've seen.  Gershwin is seldom allowed to fail on his own.  Someone
always has to "help."

Steve Schwartz