Cast and Creatives Set For PORGY AND BESS at Music Theater Heritage

Music Theater Heritage has announced the cast and creative team for The Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess. One of the first regional presentations of the acclaimed Broadway adaptation, the MTH production is directed by former Los Angeles Chapter NAACP Man of Valor recipient Rodney Lloyd Scott.

The production features Kiarri Andrews as Porgy and Allison Jones as Bess, reuniting the two who previously played opposite each other in MTH’s 2019 critically-acclaimed production of Ragtime.

Presented in MTH’s intimate 329 seat Grand Theater, the creative team includes music direction by Desmond Mason, scenic design by Jack Magaw, lighting design by Selena Gonzalez-Lopez, costume design by LaToya Rozof, sound design by Jon Robertson, choreography by Marc Wayne, production management by Brian Padavic, technical direction by Jacob Boshears, and stage management by Lacey Willis.

The ensemble cast features Catera Combs, Matthew Harris, LaTeesha  Jackson, Shane St. James,  Lucas Lowry, Robert McNichols Jr., Brian Vaughn, Sheriece Veazey-McNally, Douglass Walker, Marc Wayne, and Aggie Williams.

Leaning into the southern jazz feel of the musical adaptation, the production features Mason on piano, Tod Barnard on percussion, Lawrence Jackson on trumpet, Zak Pischnotte on reeds, Nsikoh on bass, and Brian Vaughn on Trombone.

“As a kid my mom had me watch anything with Sidney Poitier.  The film version of Porgy and Bess also introduced me to such greats as Sammy Davis Jr., Dorothy Dandridge, Pearl Bailey, Diahann Carroll and Brock Peters,” offered Director Rodney Lloyd Scott. “It’s an honor to shine a light on this American Theater Classic and I thank MTH for the opportunity!”

Known worldwide as a masterpiece and an "American Folk Opera,” Porgy and Bess was George Gershwin’s final work for the musical stage. Based on DuBose and Dorothy Heyward’s play Porgy, the Tony Award-winning adaptation of The Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess began previews on Broadway in 2011, with additional scenes by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks as well as updated musical arrangements by renowned jazz cellist Diedre Murray, combining elements of jazz, classical, and American folk music. Musical numbers include "Summertime," "A Woman Is a Sometime Thing," "I Got Plenty O’ Nuttin’," "It Ain’t Necessarily So," and "I'm On My Way."

Porgy and Bess is universally considered one of the greatest achievements of the American Musical Theatre. It was first presented at the Alvin Theatre in New York in 1935, and has been presented throughout the world, including at the Metropolitan Opera in 1984, 2019 and 2021. This version, adapted by Suzan-Lori Parks, officially opened on Broadway at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on January 12, 2012, receiving 10 Tony Award nominations.

The Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess plays 14 performances, June 6 through June 23 at Music Theater Heritage. Tickets start at only $45, more information at mthkc.com or by calling the box office at 816.221.6987.

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