The first thing you should know about Porgy & Bess: It ain’t Annie. Which is to say the sun doesn’t necessarily come out tomorrow—the play ends on an ambiguous if semi-optimistic note— so if you’re one of those folks who equates “musical” with “upbeat,” you might want to up your Prozac dosage before taking your seat.

Oh but it is such a lovely show despite the downer element. Like Fiddler on the Roof meets The Wiz with a little Stomp thrown in for good measure, Porgy & Bess explores the slice-of-life misadventures of a black community in the ‘30’s on Catfish Alley, a fictional fishing village in South Carolina. Written by George Gershwin (with Ira Gershwin, DuBose Heyward and Dorothy Heyward) and based on a DuBose Heyward novel that was based upon a true story, Porgy & Bess is rife with archetypal components—love, jealousy, addiction, temptation, man vs. man, man vs. nature, man seeking hope in the face of despair— acted, danced and sung splendidly by a strong, vibrant cast.

The tale follows the unlikely love (unless you consider that unlikely love is always likely in drama) of Bess, played by Marva Hicks, who, temporarily free of her law-fleeing pimp, gives up her addiction to “magic dust” and takes up with Porgy, played by David Jennings, the town’s poor but lovable “cripple.” As noted, their tale hardly emulates a neat Disney-esque wrap up as, when last seen, Bess is failing miserably at beating back her demons.

Speaking of demons—some of the symbolism is blatant but welcome—Sportin’ Life, in particular, played by Cedric Neal, is a devilish drug dealer, standing out like a red coat in Schindler’s List with his bold wardrobe, maniacal laughter, slithering and hissing ways, and ongoing offerings of apples and contraband. And some of the stereotypes of African-Americans are outdated, to put it mildly, a point addressed after the show during a Q&A session among audience, cast and director.

While this presentation of the show— put on by Zach Scott Theater Center and directed by Dave Steakley (also the Artistic Director of ZSTC)— features sets, language and costumes true to the original show, there is heartbreaking scene during which, without actually speaking to a change in time and geography, Steakley evokes Katrina-battered New Orleans. He manages this by stranding those characters that survive a brutal storm on rooftops, clinging to each other and praying for help while a dry-ice fog rolls out into the spacious music hall, enveloping the audience and breaking down the fourth wall.

Filled with memorable songs like Summertime and I Got Plenty o’ Nuttin’, the show is a stunning presentation in and of itself. But there’s an added bonus—it’s such an event, too. The lobby of the newly revamped, thousand-seat Austin Music Hall was just utterly abuzz before the house opened, crawling with a diverse audience eager to take their seats and take in a true Big Time production.