The Gershwins Porgy & Bess at Regents Park Open Air Theatre
As dusk descends, plumes of smoke are just visible through the trees, escaping through the top-most leaves in excited wisps. Walking up the path, a gentle hum becomes a more discernible combination gentle chatter and laughter, punctuated by the occasional pop of a champagne cork. You might be forgiven for thinking that you’re approaching a secret, woodland gathering, shrouded in mystery – a pixie party, albeit with wine. In fact, it’s not that far from the truth, for this is the magic of the Regent’s Park Open Theatre – summer is finally here.
On entering the gates, curtains of fairy lights illuminate your way past the amphitheatre, the covered dining area and onto the little lawn – the scene of smoke and revelry. A barbeque awaits many hungry arrivals, while seasoned al fresco thespians rustle through their (not necessarily Fortnum & Mason but it’s a nice touch) hampers of savoury and sweet fayre (usually smoked salmon sandwiches and strawberries).
This season sees the return of last year’s hugely successful stage adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird and, jostling for the top spot, George and Ira Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess. Swinging between opera and a musical, this is powerful, moving story of love, loss, loyalty and betrayal set in the impoverished community of Catfish Row in South Carolina during the 1920s. You might not know the story, but you’ll know the songs, which include Summertime, It Ain’t Necessarily So, and Leaving for the Promised Land.
The production, directed by Timothy Sheader, sees the return of Nicola Hughes as the eponymous Bess, a revival of her role in Trevor Nunn’s version. Comparing the two, Hughes has somehow managed to top her performance of a few years ago and is sassier, sexier and if possible, even more haunted by the demons of her past and present.
Joining her are three Americans, Phillip Boykin as the menacing thug, Crown, who Bess desperately tries to resist, as she does the “happy dust” which is temptingly offered to her by charming drug dealer, Sporting Life, played by Cedric Neal. Rufus Bonds Jnr plays the luckless Porgy, the kindly cripple who attempts to save Bess from her addictions and essentially, herself. All three leads are little short of mesmerising, as are the rest of the crew, who sing, dance and act their way through this powerful show against a vast copper sculptural background. This is arguably too modern for the time the story was set, but thanks to clever lighting it successfully changes to amplify the emotions as they unfold on stage.
The whole scene is set to a rousing, tear inducing score of jazz, gospel and blues songs. For us it was topped off by the sight of Christopher Biggins sporting ruddy cheeks and a yellow a blazer, who leads the standing ovation. That night, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house…or should I say, enchanted garden.
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