History Theatre / PorgyAndBess

''Porgy and Bess'' is Music/GeorgeGershwin's famous {{opera}}, based on [=DuBose=] and Dorothy Hayward's novel and play ''Porgy'', with lyrics by [=DuBose=] Hayward and Ira Gershwin.[[note]]Hayward wrote the lyrics that came first and were set to music by Gershwin, such as "Summertime," "A Woman is a Sometime Thing," "My Man's Gone Now" and "Buzzard Song." When Gershwin wrote a tune first and needed lyrics fitted to it, he called on his regular collaborator Ira Gershwin, whose contributions included "It Ain't Necessarily So," "There's a Boat That's Leaving Soon For New York," and "Bess, Oh, Where's My Bess?" The two lyricists collaborated on "I Got Plenty of Nuttin'" and "I Loves You, Porgy."[[/note]]

* NWordPrivileges: The N-word is used many times in the original score and early productions. ZigZagged, since the word in story is used mostly by African American characters to refer to each other (and once by a white character to be insulting), which would have been normal in their historical setting. But the opera itself was written by white creators, which made the use of the word even more controversial than it would otherwise have been. In TheFifties, Ira Gershwin replaced all mentions of the word.

''Porgy and Bess'' is Music/GeorgeGershwin's famous {{opera}}, based on [=DuBose=] and Dorothy Hayward's novel and play ''Porgy'', with lyrics by [=DuBose=] Hayward and Ira Gershwin.[[note]]Hayward wrote the lyrics that came first and were set to music by Gershwin, such as "Summertime," "A Woman is a Sometime Thing," "My Man's Gone Now" and "Buzzard Song." When Gershwin wrote a tune first and needed lyrics fitted to it, he called on his regular collaborator Ira Gershwin, whose contributions included "It Ain't Necessarily So," "There's a Boat That's Leaving Soon For New York," "Bess, You Is My Woman Now" and "Bess, Oh, Where's My Bess?" The two lyricists collaborated on "I Got Plenty of Nuttin'."[[/note]]

* TokenWhite: A handful of white characters have walk-on roles as government officials and police. While they don't get any major songs, their tense relationship with the Black residents of Catfish Row underscores the harsh realities of life under Jim Crow laws and segregation.

%%* AdaptationDisplacement

%%* SaintlyChurch

From Website/TheOtherWiki:
" "Summertime" is by far the best-known piece from the work, and countless interpretations of this and other individual numbers have also been recorded and performed. The second best-known number is "It Ain't Necessarily So". The opera is admired for Gershwin's innovative synthesis of European orchestral techniques with American jazz and folk music idioms."

From Wiki/TheOtherWiki:

''Porgy and Bess'' is Music/GeorgeGershwin's famous {{opera}}, based on [=DuBose=] and Dorothy Hayward's novel and play ''Porgy'', with lyrics by [=DuBose=] Hayward and Ira Gershwin.[[note]]Hayward wrote the lyrics that came first and were set to music by Gershwin, such as "Summertime," "A Woman is a Sometime Thing," "My Man's Gone Now" and "Buzzard Song." When Gershwin wrote a tune first and needed lyrics fitted to it, he called on his regular collaborator Ira Gershwin, who wrote "It Ain't Necessarily So," "There's a Boat That's Leaving Soon For New York," "Bess, You Is My Woman Now" and "Bess, Oh, Where's My Bess?" The two lyricists collaborated on "I Got Plenty of Nuttin'."[[/note]]

''Porgy and Bess'' is Music/GeorgeGershwin's famous {{opera}}, based on [=DuBose=] and Dorothy Hayward's novel and play ''Porgy'', with lyrics by [=DuBose=] Hayward and Ira Gershwin.

* MusicOfNote: "Summertime," "Bess, You Is My Woman Now," "It Ain't Necessarily So," "I Got Plenty O' Nuttin'"-- the list goes on and on.

* NoSongForTheWicked: The few white characters are all authority figures (though one of them is a ReasonableAuthorityFigure who helps to get Peter out of jail), and to show that they're outsiders, none of them sing, and the orchestra even stops playing while they speak.

* NWordPrivileges: The N-word is used many times in the original score and early productions. ZigZagged, since the word in story is used mostly by African American characters to refer to each other (and once by a white character to be insulting), which would have been normal in their historical setting. But the opera itself was written by white librettists and a Jewish composer, which makes using the word a lot less acceptable. In TheFifties, Ira Gershwin replaced all mentions of the word.

* NWordPrivileges: The N-word is used many times in the original score and early productions. ZigZagged, since the word in story is used mostly by African American characters to refer to each other, which would have been normal in their historical setting, but the opera itself was written by white librettists and a Jewish composer, which is considered a lot less acceptable. In TheFifties, Ira Gershwin replaced all mentions of the word.

* NWordPrivileges: The N-word is used many times in the original score and early productions. ZigZagged, since the word in story is used mostly by African American characters to refer to each other, as it would have been in their historical setting, but the opera itself was written by white librettists and composer, which is a lot less acceptable. In TheFifties, Ira Gershwin replaced all mentions of the word.

* NWordPrivileges: The N-word is used many times in the original score early productions. ZigZagged, since the word in story is used by African American characters to refer to each other, as it would have been in their historical setting, but the opera itself was written by white librettists and composer, which is a lot less acceptable. In TheFifties, Ira Gershwin replaced all mentions of the word.

* NWordPrivileges: Used many times in the early productions. In TheFifties, Ira Gershwin replaced all mentions of the word.

Bess is addicted to "Happy dust" (cocaine), and strung along by her dealer/boyfriend Crown. After Crown kills another man over a craps game, he escapes to a nearby island, leaving Bess. Porgy, a peddler well-liked in the community, takes her in. The story unfolds with Porgy and Bess' blossoming relationship and what happens to them in Catfish Row.

!!Tropes used in this work include:

* PatterSong: Maria's "I Hates Your Struttin' Style" is spoken rhythmically over musical accompaniment, and is often referred to as an early example of rapping.

* ReligionRantSong: "It ain't necessarily so"

* VillainSong: "It Ain't Necessarily So," and "There's A Boat That's Leaving Soon For New York" for Sportin' Life. Half of "What You Want With Bess," is sung by Crown.
* TheVillainSucksSong: "Friends With You, Low-Life?" about Sportin' Life. It quickly turns from a "villain sucks" song to a "you [the villain] suck and if you don't leave my presence I'll make you leave" song.

Adapted into a 1959 film directed by Creator/OttoPreminger and starring Creator/SidneyPoitier as Porgy, Creator/DorothyDandridge as Bess, and Creator/SammyDavisJr as Sportin' Life. Poorly received by critics and commercially unsuccessful, the film was so disliked by the Gershwin estate that for decades after its initial run they made a point of destroying any prints they could find; it only aired on network TV once
and has never gotten a home video release.

Adapted into a 1959 film directed by Creator/OttoPreminger, starring Creator/SidneyPoitier as Porgy, Creator/DorothyDandridge as Bess, and Creator/SammyDavisJr as Sportin' Life. Poorly received by critics and commercially unsuccessful, the film was so disliked by the Gershwin estate that for decades after its initial run they made a point of destroying any prints they could find; it only aired on network TV once

''Porgy and Bess'' is Music/GeorgeGershwin's famous {{opera}}, based on [=DuBose=] and Dorothy Hayward's book and play ''Porgy'', with lyrics by [=DuBose=] Hayward and Ira Gershwin.

Conceived as an American Folk Opera, ''Porgy and Bess'' is Gershwin's take on the life of African-American fishermen scraping out an existence on Catfish Row, a fictitious locale based on Cabbage Row in Charleston South Carolina.

Bess is addicted to "Happy dust" (cocaine), and strung along by her dealer/boyfriend Crown. When Crown kills another man over a craps game he escapes to a nearby island, leaving Bess. Porgy, a peddler well-liked in the community, takes her in. The story unfolds with Porgy and Bess' blossoming relationship and what happens to them in Catfish Row.

Adapted into a 1959 film directed by Creator/OttoPreminger, starring Creator/SidneyPoitier as Porgy, Creator/DorothyDandridge as Bess, and Creator/SammyDavisJr as Sportin' Life.

* AmbiguousEnding: [[spoiler: The story ends as Porgy departs Catfish Row to travel to New York and seek Bess, leaving it uncertain if he'll be able to find her and, if he does, get her to leave Sportin' Life.]]

''Porgy and Bess'' is Music/GeorgeGershwin's famous {{opera}}, based on [=DuBose=] and Dorothy Hayward's book and play ''Porgy'', with lyrics by DuBose Hayward and Ira Gershwin.