The Gershwins'
Porgy and Bess
Upcoming Performances
Overview
By George Gershwin, DuBose and Dorothy Heyward, and Ira Gershwin
Bass-baritone Alfred Walker and soprano Brittany Renee headline one of the defining works of American music theater. With its fusion of opera, jazz, and Broadway, the Gershwins’ enduring masterpiece features a number of tunes whose popularity has transcended the opera house, including the classics “Summertime” and “It Ain’t Necessarily So.” Hailed by The Washington Post as “a Porgy of its time that speaks to ours,” James Robinson’s vivid staging features electrifying choreography by Camille A. Brown, with an all-star ensemble portraying the community of Catfish Row.
Production a gift of The Sybil B. Harrington Endowment Fund and Douglas Dockery Thomas
Languages
Languages sung in Porgy and Bess
Sung In
English
Titles
Title languages displayed for Porgy and Bess
Met Titles In
- English
- German
- Spanish
Timeline
Timeline for the show, Porgy and Bess
Estimated Run Time
3 hrs 30 mins
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House Opens
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Act I
100 mins
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Intermission
35 mins
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Act II
75 mins
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Opera Ends
Cast
Select a date from the dropdown to filter cast by date of performance
World Premiere: Alvin Theatre, New York, 1935. A supremely American operatic masterpiece and the most ambitious work by one of the nation’s greatest musical talents, Porgy and Bess focuses on the joys and struggles of a black neighborhood in Charleston, South Carolina, in the early 20th century. The overall combination of music, word, and idea among a complex blend of Americana make this a unique and impressive work both within and beyond the operatic repertory.
Creators
George Gershwin (1898–1937) was one of America’s greatest composers—creating a diverse collection of works spanning the classical, jazz, and theatrical worlds—while his brother, Ira Gershwin (1896–1983), was one of the most prominent lyricists of American song. Novelist and poet DuBose Heyward (1885–1940) collaborated with his wife, Dorothy (1890–1961), to adapt his novel Porgy into a successful Broadway play, which later inspired the Gershwins’ opera.
PRODUCTION
James Robinson
Set Designer
Michael Yeargan
COSTUME DESIGNER
Catherine Zuber
LIGHTING DESIGNER
Donald Holder
PROJECTION DESIGNER
Luke Halls
CHOREOGRAPHER
Camille A. Brown
FIGHT DIRECTOR
David Leong
C. Graham Berwind, III Chorus Director
Tilman Michael
Written by George Gershwin, DuBose and Dorothy Heyward, and Ira Gershwin
Setting
The opera is set in slightly fictionalized versions of real places in and around Charleston, South Carolina. Catfish Row is a seaside version of the actual Cabbage Row, a group of old mansions historically inhabited by the descendants of freed slaves.
Music
Far beyond being a compendium of classic songs, the score of Porgy and Bess maintains a level of musical unity and a rich, descriptive language that compares with the greatest operatic achievements. Much of the work’s dynamism comes from Gershwin’s explorations of the Gullah music of Tidewater Carolina, melded with his mastery of jazz and Eastern European Jewish roots to create a personal, idiomatic, brilliant, and thoroughly convincing musical canvas.
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