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This was my first time seeing an opera, and I was not sure what to expect. But, wow, it was an experience I will never forget. The entire cast was superb, and their voices were magical. The orchestra was wonderful. We are so fortunate to have The Steven Tanger Center in Greensboro.
The venue was gorgeous, the libretto scroll was greatly appreciated, the actors were excellently talented, and the show was so moving, oh! I was in tears. My only complaint would be that the volume from the orchestra pit and the actors on stage did not match. Often times the orchestra would overpower the performers, who were projecting to the best of their abilities. I would not want any to blow out their pipes, so to speak, so might I suggest wig microphones for the next time? I know that might be a bit technical to do but the balanced sound would be greatly appreciated. Keep up the great work, all!
I was looking forward to this Opera for two years. I was disappointed with the sound quality, which is a big problem for an Opera. The singers were not projected at all which made it very hard to understand, and frankly to listen. It was exhausting. And the Sur Titles were in such small type font that three out of four of my party could not read them. Tanger has spent millions for this fancy sound system but after attending several productions, they still haven't figured it out. And no, I do not have hearing problems, but many in the audience do so they have a terrible time with various parts of the productions The GSO Opera did a great job with the production for their part. I wish they had been able to be heard better.
The production of Porgy and Bess had great potential. The leads were all very capable, the orchestra was fine and the chorus was superb. Porgy, Sporting life and Serena were all world 'class performers. The problems included poor sound quality, particularly the orchestra in the pit. We in the loge could hear no bass sounds out of the pit and the microphones did not help everyone equally in their singing. The sets were standard and the scene changes were slow and boring. They also presented the opera uncut and this opera has been improved with judicious cutting over the years. All in all, it was too long in the seats. However, I was glad that I went, and the many bright spots outshined the errors.
GO’s “Porgy and Bess” was a delight for the senses and a balm for the heart. Production values were splendid with sets and costumes that transported us back to Charleston in the 1920s. Lighting design beautifully depicted raging storms. Rhiannon Giddens gave us a sensual, sensitive Bess, and all the singers were fine. What this “P&B” had that many others I’ve seen have lacked is heart. I felt Porgy’s pain and frustration, Bess’s conflict and desperation, and most of all I felt the love, and the sense of community on Catfish Row. Oh, and the orchestra under Awadagin Pratt was flawless. Kudos all around. Can’t wait till the next one.
The cast was very talented. Costumes and vocals were of an excellent quality. Some of the songs were hard to hear and the subtitles were too small to read. Overall, it was very good but I would have liked to have heard all the dialogue.
Production phenomenal! Paid parking adequate. Lounge tickets purchased did not specify time thus we arrived at 5:30 to learn after some confusion of staff that it did not open until one hour prior to the performance. Upon opening then learning that if you were not seated on time (7:30pm) that you would have to wait approx 20-30 minutes for seating thus missing a large portion of the show. Sound quality and sub titles could be improved.
My group of 4 loved Porgy and Bess. The singing was beautifully done. The costumes were colorful. The set was well done. It was worth waiting for. It was also worth going out on a cold, winter's night. The venue is so fresh and shiny. The staff is so very friendly. Great night out.
Very hard to follow, trying to read the prompter and watch the actors. Had to leave at intermission due to snow storm
The Venue is great -- staff, facilities, sight lines, etc. Third visit to the Tanger Ctr. First two events (Broadway Musicals) everything was fantastic. For Porgy and Bess, an opera the audio was weak and the lyrics screen were poor. Highly recommend this place for most events. Needs to improve in this specific genre.
The set was too small for the stage! The supertitles were impossible to read! The font was too small. The first half was too long. All in all a disappointing experience!
Although the orchestra overpowered the voices, exceptional talent!! Loved the set and costumes too
I was so excited about seeing Porgy and Bess. I had heard there were no bad seats anywhere in Tanger Theatre. We purchased tickets for the upper level in the center. The disappointment was that we couldn't hear anything! It was so garbled that we had to read everything fromm the telemonitor. It distracted us from seeing the performance.
Super titles were unreadable. Little contrast between background and words (grey background with white letters) and small font. The screen allows for larger, readable font. Seats in Grand Tier Center far removed from stage to be able to discern which characters were talking/singing. I was very disappointed in this production.
The last time I saw Porgy and Bess was about 1980 when I was in my 20s. I loved it. But I’m now in my 60s, and being more mature I find the opera problematic. Yes the music is lovely, but the story is troublesome with its sexual abuse and lack of female agency, drug addiction, and Black stereotypes. The result is I found the opera terribly tragic this time with a lack of depth to the characters. With regard to this specific performance, it was good, and I appreciated the artistry (and work) of the singers and the orchestra. I wish there had been better balance between the orchestra and the singers (sometimes the orchestra was a bit too loud to hear the singers), and the singers’ words were difficult to understand. But I assume these issues were more about the technical side of the production and the acoustics of the hall. I was also in the loge, so that may have contributed.
Could not understand the voices and the font for translation screen was too small to be read
