Porgy and Bess

Porgy and Bess

George Gershwin's "Porgy And Bess" was a break from traditional Broadway musicals of its time, and thus was revolutionary. To this day, many believe that no other composer for the American theater has written anything in its class. To this day, music critics dispute its genre. Some believe it belongs to the "opera" classification, while others believe it fits better with "folk opera," or even "jazz." Based on the Dubose Heyward novel "Porgy,"Gershwin created a musical with passionate tragedy, following the grand opera tradition. "Porgy and Bess" also deals with racism, a pressing issue at the time (1935). Libretto written by Heyward and lyrics written by George's brother, Ira Gershwin, the dialogue (whether musical or speaking) reflected a racial slant. When "Porgy and Bess" opened in 1935, it was a commercial failure, running only 124 performances. Even seven years later, in revival, it ran for a total of 286 performances. However, since then, it has become one of the most frequently performed works in all our musical theater, and has been produced extensively abroad.

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Summertime (Sublime)