How touring opera companies put up with their punishing schedules I do not know.

It cannot be good for the singers and musicians and it must mean audiences feel a little cheated at times.

I certainly felt a little cheated when the company manager announced at least ten changes to the cast before the curtain went up.

Porgy And Bess is a tough opera to present. It calls for a near all black cast, some of the numbers are far from easy and this New York production was suffering from a gruelling production schedule.

The show in Eastbourne was cruelly cut, its normal three acts trimmed to two and a lot of the numbers heavily truncated.

This was hardly a satisfying Porgy And Bess but it was certainly a brave stab at the first jazz and blues-inspired opera and what did come across exceedingly well was Gershwin's wonderful and beautiful music. It deserved five stars for that alone.