Porgy and Bess

E55180

Porgy and Bess is a landmark American opera by George Gershwin that blends classical music, jazz, and blues to depict African American life in Charleston’s Catfish Row.

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Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf American opera
opera
basedOn Porgy (novel)
Porgy (novel)
surface form: Porgy (play)
basedOnWorkAuthor DuBose Heyward
composer George Gershwin
countryOfOrigin United States of America
surface form: United States
depicts African American life in the American South
filmAdaptationDirector Otto Preminger
filmAdaptationStars Dorothy Dandridge
Sammy Davis Jr.
Sidney Poitier
firstBroadwayPerformanceLocation Alvin Theatre, New York City
genre blues
classical music
folk opera
jazz
jazz-influenced opera
hasFilmAdaptation Porgy and Bess self-linksurface differs
surface form: Porgy and Bess (1959 film)
historicalReputation landmark of American opera
language English
librettist DuBose Heyward
lyricist Ira Gershwin
mainCharacter Bess
Clara
Crown
Porgy (novel)
surface form: Porgy

Serena
Sportin’ Life
notableSong Bess, You Is My Woman Now
I Got Plenty o’ Nuttin’
It Ain’t Necessarily So
My Man’s Gone Now
Summertime
originalProducer Theatre Guild
performanceTradition all-Black principal cast
premiereDate 1935-09-30
premiereLocation Colonial Theatre, Boston
rightsHolder Gershwin estate
settingCity Charleston
settingLocation Catfish Row
settingState South Carolina
structure three acts
subjectMatter community life in Catfish Row
drug addiction
love story
poverty
racism
timePeriodOfSetting early 20th century

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Referenced by (51)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

I Loves You, Porgy firstPerformanceIn Porgy and Bess