First performed opera Porgy and Bess in Boston

Porgy and Bess is an opera, first performed in 1935, with music by George Gershwin, libretto by DuBose Heyward, and lyrics by DuBose Heyward and Ira Gershwin. It was based on DuBose Heyward's novel Porgy and subsequent play of the same title, which he co-wrote with his wife Dorothy Heyward. All three works deal with African-American life in the fictitious Catfish Row (based on the area of Cabbage Row) in Charleston, South Carolina, in the early 1920s.

Originally conceived by George Gershwin as an "American folk opera", Porgy and Bess premiered in New York in the fall of 1935 and featured an entire cast of classically trained African-American singers—a daring artistic choice at the time. Gershwin chose the African-American musician Eva Jessye as the choral director for the opera. Gershwin explained why he called Porgy and Bess a folk opera in a 1935 New York Times article: "Porgy and Bess is a folk tale. Its people naturally would sing folk music. When I first began work in the music I decided against the use of original folk material because I wanted the music to be all of one piece. Therefore I wrote my own spirituals and folksongs. But they are still folk music – and therefore, being in operatic form, Porgy and Bess becomes a folk opera."

The work was not widely accepted in the United States as a legitimate opera until 1976, when the Houston Grand Operaproduction of Gershwin's complete score established it as an artistic triumph. Nine years later, the Metropolitan Opera of New York gave their first performance of the work. This production was also broadcast as part of the ongoing Saturday afternoon live Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts. The work is now considered part of the standard operatic repertoire and is regularly performed internationally. Despite this success, the opera has been controversial; some critics from the outset have considered it a racist portrayal of African Americans.

The song "Summertime" is the best-known selection from Porgy and Bess. Other popular and frequently recorded songs from the opera include "It Ain't Necessarily So", "Bess, You Is My Woman Now", "I Loves You, Porgy" and "I Got Plenty o' Nuttin'". The opera is admired for Gershwin's innovative synthesis of European orchestral techniques with American jazzand folk music idioms.

Porgy and Bess tells the story of Porgy, a disabled black beggar living in the slums of Charleston, South Carolina. It deals with his attempts to rescue Bess from the clutches of Crown, her violent and possessive lover, and Sportin' Life, the drug dealer. Where the earlier novel and stage-play differ, the opera generally follows the stage-play.

Performance history

1935 Original Broadway production

Gershwin's first version of the opera, running four hours (counting the two intermissions), was performed privately in a concert version in Carnegie Hall, in the fall of 1935. He chose as his choral director Eva Jessye, who also directed her own renowned choir. The world premiere performance took place at the Colonial Theatre in Boston on September 30, 1935—the try-out for a work intended initially for Broadway where the opening took place at the Alvin Theatre in New York City on October 10, 1935. During rehearsals and in Boston, Gershwin made many cuts and refinements to shorten the running time and tighten the dramatic action. The run on Broadway lasted 124 performances. The production and direction were entrusted to Rouben Mamoulian, who had previously directed the Broadway productions of Heyward's play Porgy. The music director was Alexander Smallens. The leading roles were played by Todd Duncan and Anne Brown. The influentialvaudeville artist John W. Bubbles created the role of Sportin' Life; the role of Serena was created by Ruby Elzy.

After the Broadway run, a tour started on January 27, 1936, in Philadelphia and traveled to Pittsburgh and Chicago before ending in Washington, D.C., on March 21, 1936. During the Washington run, the cast—as led by Todd Duncan—protested segregation at the National Theatre. Eventually management gave in to the demands, resulting in the first integrated audience for a performance of any show at that venue.

Around 1938, much of the original cast reunited for a West Coast revival; Avon Long took on the role of Sportin' Life. Long continued to reprise his role in several of the following productions.

Roles

Role Voice type Premiere cast September 30, 1935
(Conductor: Alexander Smallens)

Porgy, a disabled beggar bass-baritone Todd Duncan

Bess, Crown's girl soprano Anne Brown

Crown, a tough steve dore baritone Warren Coleman

Sportin' Life, a dope peddler tenorJohn W. Bubbles

Robbins, an inhabitant of Catfish Rowtenor

Henry DavisSerena, Robbins' wife soprano

Ruby Elzy Jake, a fisherman baritone Edward Matthews

Clara, Jake's wife soprano Abbie Mitchell

Maria, keeper of the cook-shop contralto Georgette Harvey

Mingo tenor Ford L. Buck

Peter, the honey mantenor Gus Simons

Lily, Peter's wifesoprano Helen Dowdy

Frazier, a black "lawyer"baritone J. Rosamond Johnson

Annie mezzo-soprano Olive Ball

Strawberry womanmezzo-soprano Helen Dowdy

Jim, a cotton pickerbaritone Jack Carr

Undertaker baritoneJohn Garth Nelson tenor Ray Yeates

Crab man tenor Ray Yeates

Scipio, a small boy boy soprano
Mr. Archdale, a white lawyer spoken George Lessey

Detective spoken Alexander Campbell

PolicemanspokenBurton McEvilly

Coronerspoken George Carleton

The Eva Jessye Choir, led by Eva Jessye

With the exception of the small speaking roles, all of the characters are black.