Porgy and Bess

The Gershwins'

Porgy and Bess

This production ran: Oct 31 - Dec 12

This production is in the past.

Overview

By George Gershwin, DuBose and Dorothy Heyward, and Ira Gershwin

Smashing box office records when it premiered during the 2019–20 season, the Met’s landmark staging of this American classic returns, with many of its original cast members reprising their celebrated portrayals. Bass-baritone Eric Owens and soprano Angel Blue reunite as the title couple, leading a superb ensemble that also includes soprano Janai Brugger as Clara, soprano Latonia Moore as Serena, mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves as Maria, tenor Frederick Ballentine as Sportin’ Life, bass-baritone Alfred Walker as Crown, and bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green as Jake. David Robertson once again takes to podium to conduct.

All audience members must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and wear face masks at all times inside the Met, except when eating or drinking in designated areas. For more information on health and safety policies, visit our commitment page.

The worldwide copyrights in the works of George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin for this presentation are licensed by the Gershwin family.

GERSHWIN is a registered trademark of Gershwin Enterprises. Porgy and Bess is a registered trademark of Porgy and Bess Enterprises.

Porgy and Bess is a registered trademark of Porgy and Bess Enterprises.

A co-production of the Metropolitan Opera; Dutch National Opera, Amsterdam; and English National Opera

Production a gift of The Sybil B. Harrington Endowment Fund and Douglas Dockery Thomas

Revival a gift of NPD Group, Inc.

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

  • House Opens

  • Act I

    100 mins

  • Intermission

    35 mins

  • Act II

    75 mins

  • Opera Ends

Porgy and Bess

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

Written by George Gershwin, DuBose and Dorothy Heyward, and Ira Gershwin

Setting

Porgy and Bess

The opera is set in slightly fictionalized versions of real places in and around Charleston, South Carolina. Catfish Row is a sea-side 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.

Porgy and Bess