Porgy & Bess

Komische oper Berlin

May 9 - June 4, 2027 | Berlin, GermanY

Porgy and Bess returns to Berlin! Barrie Kosky offers a powerful new perspective on this timeless masterpiece about the life of a South Carolinian Black community. With his exacting direction, he turns a spotlight on the beauty and depth of human existence: at once raw, moving, and inspiring.

1870: In the dilapidated Catfish Row on Charleston’s waterfront, people endure wretched conditions, but they still draw hope from their sense of community, found in their work, religion, music, or even just a game of craps. When the brutal Crown loses a game and kills the winner, his woman Bess must run and hide, finally finding refuge with a disabled beggar named Porgy. The two fall in love, but their happiness is short-lived: before long, the shady drug dealer Sportin’ Life tempts the addicted Bess with promises of a better life in New York…

In this production, Curtis makes his German opera house debut as Sportin’ Life.