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Porgy and Bess opera... George Gershwin...
Porgy and Bess opera... George Gershwin...
Item # 721434
October 10, 1935
THE NEW YORK TIMES, October 10, 1935
* Porgy and Bess folk-opera
* Composer George Gershwin
* Opening day in Manhattan - NYC
The top of page 30 under "NEWS OF THE STAGE" is a two column heading: "'Gershwin's Folk Opera, 'Porgy and Bess', Opens Tonight..." The same page has a small advertisement for the opera on it's opening night. (see images)
I suspect this to be an extremely rare item because there was really no reason to save it at the time.
Complete in 52 pages, rag edition in very nice condition.
background: On the evening of October 10 1935, at the Alvin Theatre in New York, the curtain rose on Porgy and Bess, the ambitious “folk‑opera” by George Gershwin (with libretto by DuBose Heyward and additional lyrics by Ira Gershwin). The production featured an entirely African‑American cast—unusual for Broadway at that time—bringing to life the impoverished community of “Catfish Row” in Charleston, South Carolina. Critics that night were mixed: some praised the score’s bold fusion of jazz, blues, and classical idioms while others questioned whether it truly functioned as an opera or a Broadway musical. Though the show ran for only 124 performances and did not turn a profit initially, its opening stands as a landmark moment in American theatre—a moment when musicals, opera and African‑American performers converged in a way that would echo far beyond 1935.
Category: The 20th Century
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$52.00
