Porgy and Bess

Porgy and Bess is a "folk opera" written by George Gershwin (music) and Dubose Heyward, Ira Gershwin and Dorothy Heyward (words). It was first produced in New York City in 1935.

It concerns the lives of the poor black tenants of "Catfish Row" on the waterfront of Charleston, South Carolina, including the beggar, Porgy, and a prostitute, Bess, whom Porgy tries to rescue from the control of her pimp and her drug dealer. The best-known song from Porgy and Bess is "Summertime".