Local theater scene moving beyond color
An opera singer's career is a precarious affair. But for African-American opera singers, there can be even more hurdles because of typecasting and lingering prejudices over colorblind casting.
In an interesting artistic confluence, Chicago is hosting two operas predominately cast with African-American singers this November.
First up is the Chicago premiere of "Margaret Garner," a 2005 opera by Nobel laureate Toni Morrison and Grammy Award-winning composer Richard Danielpour that plays the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University. The production by director Kenny Leon from Detroit's Michigan Opera Theatre is also the first full-fledged opera to play the 1889 venue in decades.
Like Morrison's novel "Beloved," "Margaret Garner" is based upon the 1856 historical incident when a runaway slave facing recapture attempted to kill her own children to prevent them from returning to the bonds of slavery.
Later in November, George Gershwin's 1935 opus "Porgy and Bess" has its Lyric Opera of Chicago premiere in an acclaimed production by director Francesca Zambello that debuted at Washington National Opera in 2005. Not only did "Porgy" introduce song standards like "Summertime" and "It Ain't Necessarily So," it's regarded by many critics to be "the great American opera."
Baritone Will Liverman, a 20-year-old vocal studies student at Wheaton College, feels extremely fortunate to be cast in the chorus of "Porgy." Though he's just at the start of his career, Liverman's vocal prowess impressed Lyric chorus master Donald Nally to cast him in a featured sextet during the hurricane scene.
"It's really great just to have that experience of seeing so many African-American singers," Liverman said. "Just to be a part of it and learn from others who have experience in the opera world has been great."
Yet, Liverman is already aware of how "Porgy and Bess" can present a Catch-22. Since its inception, "Porgy" has provided work for generations of African-American singers. But singers sometimes end up limited to "Porgy" since many casting directors still have reservations about casting without regard of ethnicity for the standard operatic repertoire.
Baritone and Chicago native Gregg Baker understand the situation. Currently Baker is appearing as Robert, Margaret Garner's husband, reviving the role for four Chicago performances after creating it in Detroit alongside star mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves in the title role.
Yet, for 14 consecutive years of Baker's career, all he performed was the villain Crown in "Porgy" productions around the world.
"We're artists at the end of the day and when you're not allowed to branch out or to fully express the limits of your talent, it can be frustrating," said Baker.
Though proud of his efforts to help legitimize "Porgy" in the standard operatic repertory, Baker doesn't want African-American singers to be restricted to it.
Baker's sexy take on Crown defined the role for multiple generations after he played it in landmark "Porgy" productions at the Metropolitan Opera in 1985 and at Britain's Glyndebourne Festival in 1986 (the latter was preserved on CD and used as the soundtrack for the 1993 TV film).
"So many people wanted (Baker's Crown)," said mezzo-soprano Marietta Simpson, who appeared as Maria alongside Baker in the 1986 and 1993 "Porgy" productions. She also plays Maria at the Lyric.
"On one hand you look at it as being pigeonholed," Simpson said, adding that historically African-American men have had a harder time breaking into the opera world than women. "Or on the other hand, you can look at it that you're consistently working and that's a good thing."
Like soprano and Chicago native Jonita Lattimore who plays Serena in Lyric's "Porgy," Simpson does plenty of concert work and recitals to augment her operatic career. Citing the groundbreaking career of contralto Marian Anderson, Simpson says race has historically played less of a factor for vocalists doing orchestral work.
Baritone and Ohio native Lester Lynch plays Crown in the Lyric production, plus a few performances in the title role of Porgy.
"'Porgy' has been such a great and wonderful foundation to my career and I thank God that Gershwin wrote this piece," Lynch said, adding that touring with a Houston Grand Opera production of "Porgy" gave him opportunities to audition for other roles for multiple opera companies around the world.
Indeed, Lynch's other operatic roles this year have included Sharpless in Puccini's "Madama Butterfly" and the title role of Verdi's "Macbeth."
Mezzo-soprano Tracie Luck is relishing the opportunity to sing the words of Toni Morrison in a new opera like "Margaret Garner." Though Graves created the title role, Luck got to sing it at New York City Opera last year and she finishes the Chicago run for three performances.
Luck sees "Porgy" as "a safe haven and a great place to gain some experience when not everyone else is as open-minded as they should be when it comes to casting talented singers," Luck said. "It would be really something if opera singers were auditioned behind a screen, just like orchestra players."
Though all the singers interviewed said they felt things weren't perfect with casting in opera, they do note encouraging signs that things are looking better. Many cited recent strides by African-American singers like Nicole Cabell, Morris Robinson, Eric Owens, Lawrence Brownlee and Angela Brown in new and standard operatic repertory - building upon the legacy of artists from the 1960s to '80s like Leontyne Price, Martina Arroyo, Grace Brumby, Shirley Verrett, Kathleen Battle and Jessye Norman.
Indeed, in Liverman's excitement to be cast of the Lyric's chorus of "Porgy," he initially didn't read his entire contract. Liverman later learned he was also hired to be in the chorus of the Lyric's 2009 production of Leoncavallo's "I Pagliacci."
"I'm really happy being in both choruses," Liverman said. "I'm starting to pay my dues."
"Margaret Garner" plays five performances between Saturday, Nov. 1, through Sunday, Nov. 9, at the Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Congress Parkway, Chicago. Ticket run $40-$150. (312) 902-1500 or auditoriumtheatre.org
"Porgy and Bess" plays 13 performances between Tuesday, Nov. 18, and Friday, Dec. 19, at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, 20 N. Wacker Dr., Chicago. Tickets run $32-$197. (312) 332-2244 or lyricopera.org