GREAT PERFORMANCES AT THE MET: "PORGY AND BESS"
PBS, 9:00 p.m. ET
For fans of Broadway musicals, and of opera, this is a must, too. From earlier this year, just before the lights went out on Broadway, the Metropolitan Opera staged a version of a classic jazz opera it called Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, emphasizing its fidelity to the original musical score George and Ira Gershwin first presented in 1935, and to its large-scale vision and staging. Based on the novel by DuBose Heyward, and the play by Dubose and Dorothy Heyward, this Porgy and Bess – the first Met staging in almost 30 years – stars Eric Owens and Angel Blue in the title roles. This particular performance was presented as a live simulcast in movie theaters across the world on February 1. Audiences were warned beforehand that Owens was quite ill, but would do his best to complete the performance. He ended up being so wonderful that the ovation for him afterward at the Met was exuberant… and it was just as boisterous at the movie theater where I saw it in Cherry Hill, NJ, even though the performers, of course, had no idea of the standing ovation we were giving them. Now, you can see it for free, at home. You get to hear “Summertime” – and the viewin’ is easy… Check local listings.