The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess
About the show
A re-staging of the original opera, with a new book adapted by Susan Lori Parks, this production starring Audra McDonald, was nominated for 10 Tony Awards. More…
Set in the 1930s in an African-American Charleston neighborhood known as Catfish Row, Porgy and Bess centers on the tragic love story of the cripple beggar Porgy and beautiful Bess, who longs to turn away from her former life as a prostitute and cocaine addict. After a murder, Bess’ abusive partner Crown flees, leaving her at the mercy of a disapproving community and tempted by the seductive drug dealer Sporting Life. Bess strikes up an unlikely relationship with Porgy and gradually finds acceptance on Catfish Row—until a hurricane and the return of Crown change everyone’s lives forever.
Member Reviews (97)
MEMBERS SAY:
See it if You've never seen Porgy & Bess before, but don't want to commit to a full production.
Don't see it if You really want to see a full production of Porgy & Bess.
See it if you love Audra and Norm. Beautifully acted and sung.
Don't see it if you're looking for a fully staged production. This is very stripped down.
See it if you like opera, Audra, and Gershwin...an absolute classic
Don't see it if you don't enjoy opera or you are looking for something modern
See it if never saw or enjoy seeing a classic with a some great music and vocals.
Don't see it if do not like sad, heartfelt stories
See it if you've never been introduced to any incarnation of this classic show. Audra McDonald gave a performance for the ages in this production.
Don't see it if you're not into the heavy subject matter, or you're a Porgy & Bess purist (this production adapted the opera into more of a stage musical).
See it if You love Audra McDonald. She rocked the house per usual.
Don't see it if You love Porgy and Bess and shudder at the thought of a streamlined, kind of ugly version of it.
See it if you have enough plutonium to generate the requisite 1.21 gigawatts to get your DeLorean back to 2011. (PS It'd be totally worth it.)
Don't see it if you're reading this after Sept 23, 2012. Buy a ticket to Hamilton and tell your neighbor how excited you are to see a show where P&B played.
See it if you like audra macdonald.
Don't see it if you don;t like heavy subject matter.
See it if You want to be blown away by some of the best singers and actors on Broadway.
Don't see it if A longs musical with mainly slow songs is not your thing.
See it if You love classic musical theatre. Great singing, staging, deeply moving performances.
Don't see it if Tragically you can't see it now, at least not this production with Ms Audra McDonald. It was a beauty.
See it if You want to enjoy a classic opera reset as a musical. It's powerfully dramatic, with intense performances.
Don't see it if You can't handle a musical that is far from light fare.
See it if Gershwin and Audra McDonald, what more do you need?! It's musical, not an opera, and it's fantastic! Moving, and outstandingly performed.
Don't see it if You are a purist and prefer the opera.
See it if you like AMAZING theatre and talent.
Don't see it if you don't love music
See it if you like classic musicals. The performances in this show were incredible.
Don't see it if you don't like Gershwin music or classic musicals.
See it if you want to see amazing talent perform an amazing classic. Audra and Norm blow it out of the water.
Don't see it if old Broadway music bores you. It can often be too operatic and slow.
See it if If only to see the amazing Audra McDonald, as brilliant as always. The entire cast was masterful.
Don't see it if Seriously, you should see it.
See it if you want to see an old show in a new light
Don't see it if you want to see a comedy
See it if you want to hear exquisite vocals
Don't see it if you need something new
See it if you love glorious Gershwin music. This cast, especially Audra McDonald, were stupendous. A truly magical and unforgettable show.
Don't see it if you don't like classic musical theater.
See it if you are a fan of opera and/or Gershwin, would like to hear this opera sung by a large, brilliant cast at the Metropolitan Opera.
Don't see it if opera just isn't your thing.
See it if you are looking for a sensitively-directed, modern take on the famous opera or if you are just wanting to see QUEEN Audra do her thing.
Don't see it if you are expecting Norm Lewis to match Audra McDonald's amazingness (Spoiler: He falls pretty short).
See it if You love Audra MacDonald & Norm Lewis, enjoy an amazing score.
Don't see it if You are not a fan of modern operettas,
See it if you love Audra, Norm, or Gershwin!
Don't see it if you want a show that sticks closely to the original opera. When I saw it, at an early preview, they'd rewritten the ending (for the worse).
See it if You like Summertime
Don't see it if You are racist
See it if You love the sound of classy singing and are interested in seeing a different kind of love story.
Don't see it if You are picky about types of theatre. This is a very dramatic show and a lot of people prefer comedy's.
Cast & Creatives
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