Ira Gershwin Videos

Two-time Tony winner Matthew Broderick appeared on this morning's GOOD MORNING AMERICA to discuss his new play, NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT.

The team behind the new musical comedy NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT recently sat down to talk about the process of bringing some of George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin's most beloved standards back to Broadway for contemporary audiences. Click below to meet music supervisor David Chase and orchestrator Bill Elliott.

Two-time Tony Award-winner Matthew Broderick and three-time Tony Award nominee Kelli O'Hara star in NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT, featuring music and lyrics by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin. The production will begin performances on Broadway on Thursday, March 29, 2012 and officially open on Tuesday, April 24, 2012 at the Imperial Theatre (249 West 45th Street). The show is directed & choreographed by three-time Tony Award-winner Kathleen Marshall and features a book by two-time Tony Award-winner Joe DiPietro. The cast and creative team met the press yesterday and BroadwayWorld was there for the big event. Check out a performance preview below along with full coverage and interviews!

The cast and creative team met the press today and BroadwayWorld was there for the big event. Check out a performance preview below and check back tomorrow for full coverage and interviews!

The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess is now on Broadway with a cast led by four-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald (Ragtime, 'Private Practice') as Bess, Drama Desk nominee Norm Lewis (Les Misérables, Sondheim on Sondheim) as Porgy and two-time Tony nominee David Alan Grier (Race, 'In Living Color') as Sporting Life. Last night, McDonald was a guest on The Colbert Report on Comedy Central. The four-time Tony Award-winner chatted with Stephen Colbert about her return to Broadway and performed 'Summertime.' Click below to check it out!

Two-time Tony Award-winner Matthew Broderick and three-time Tony Award nominee Kelli O'Hara in NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT, featuring music and lyrics by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin, will begin performances on Broadway on Thursday, March 29, 2012 and officially open on Tuesday, April 24, 2012 at the Imperial Theatre (249 West 45th Street). The production is directed & choreographed by three-time Tony Award-winner Kathleen Marshall and features a book by two-time Tony Award-winner Joe DiPietro. NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT is featured in the April 2012 issue of Vanity Fair in a story written by Jim Kelly. In the video below, go behind-the-scenes at the photo shoot with photographer Annie Leibovitz!

The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess is now on Broadway with a cast led by four-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald (Ragtime, 'Private Practice') as Bess, Drama Desk nominee Norm Lewis (Les Misérables, Sondheim on Sondheim) as Porgy and two-time Tony nominee David Alan Grier (Race, 'In Living Color') as Sporting Life. McDonlad and Lewis will appear on 'The Rosie Show' tomorrow March 2, and BroadwayWorld brings you previews of their performances of 'Summertime,' 'I Got PLenty O' Nuttin,' and 'I Loves You, Porgy' below! Check your local listings to tune in live!

Today in 1992, Crazy for You opened at the Shubert Theatre, where it ran for 1622 performances. Crazy for You is a musical with a book by Ken Ludwig, lyrics by Ira Gershwin, and music by George Gershwin. Billed as 'The New Gershwin Musical Comedy', it is largely based on the songwriting team's 1930 musical, Girl Crazy, but interpolates songs from several other productions as well. Crazy for You won the 1992 Tony Award for Best Musical. The Broadway production was directed by Mike Ockrent and choreographed by Susan Stroman.The cast included Jodi Benson as Polly, Harry Groener as Bobby Child, Bruce Adler as Bela Zangler, John Hillner as Lank Hawkins, Michele Pawk as Irene Roth, Jane Connell as Mother, and Beth Leavel as Tess.

The Gershwins' PORGY AND BESS officially opened on Thursday, January 12th, 2012 at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. The cast led by four-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald (Ragtime, 'Private Practice') as Bess, Drama Desk nominee Norm Lewis (Les Misérables, Sondheim on Sondheim) as Porgy and two-time Tony nominee David Alan Grier (Race, 'In Living Color') as Sporting Life. Today, McDonald and Lewis appeared on The View to promote the show and BroadwayWorld brings you their performance of 'Bess, You Is My Woman Now' below!

Today in 1942, the first revival of Porgy and Bess opened at the Majestic Theatre, where it ran for 286 performances. First performed in 1935, with music by George Gershwin, libretto by DuBose Heyward, and lyrics by Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward, it was based on DuBose Heyward's novel Porgy and subsequent play of the same title, which he co-wrote with his wife Dorothy Heyward. All three works deal with African-American life in the fictitious Catfish Row in Charleston, South Carolina, in the early 1920s. Originally conceived by George Gershwin as an 'American folk opera', Porgy and Bess premiered in New York in the fall of 1935 and featured an entire cast of classically trained African-American singers-a daring artistic choice at the time.

The Gershwins' PORGY AND BESS officially opened on Thursday, January 12th, 2012 at the Richard Rodgers Theatre (226 West 46th Street). The cast led by four-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald (Ragtime, 'Private Practice') as Bess, Drama Desk nominee Norm Lewis (Les Misérables, Sondheim on Sondheim) as Porgy and two-time Tony nominee David Alan Grier (Race, 'In Living Color') as Sporting Life. The cast also includes Phillip Boykin as Crown, Nikki Renée Daniels as Clara, Joshua Henry as Jake, Christopher Innvar as Detective, Bryonha Marie Parham as Serena and NaTasha Yvette Williams as Mariah, as well as Sumayya Ali, Allison Blackwell, Roosevelt André Credit, Trevon Davis, Joseph Dellger, Wilkie Ferguson, Carmen Ruby Floyd, Gavin Gregory, Heather Hill, David Hughey, Andrea Jones-Sojola, Alicia Hall Moran, Cedric Neal, Phumzile Sojola, Nathaniel Stampley, Julius Thomas III, J.D. Webster and Lisa Nicole Wilkerson. Check out the just-released promo for the show below!

On Thursday, January 12, The Gershwin's Porgy and Bess opened at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. Broadway Beat was on hand for exciting opening night party to chat with the cast and company and takes you inside below!

'Wow' is all that we could say after watching this thrilling show preview for The Gershwins' PORGY AND BESS on Broadway! Check out the footage below of Audra McDonald, Norm Lewis, David Alan Grier & company lighting up the stage in this new production which opens on Thursday, January 12!

We'll have a complete BWW TV preview up later, but we couldn't resist bringing you a sneak peek at a production montage for The Gershwins' PORGY AND BESS on Broadway! The show opens on Thursday, January 12th, 2012 at the Richard Rodgers Theatre starring Audra McDonald as Bess, Norm Lewis as Porgy and David Alan Grier as Sporting Life.

The Gershwins' PORGY AND BESS opens on Thursday, January 12th, 2012 at the Richard Rodgers Theatre (226 West 46th Street, between 8th Avenue and Broadway). Tickets are now on sale at Ticketmaster.com or by calling 877-250-2929. In the video below, leading lady Audra McDonald chats about what it's like to take on the iconic character.

The Gershwins' PORGY AND BESS comes to Broadway in a stirring new staging, featuring such legendary songs as 'Summertime,' 'It Ain't Necessarily So,' and 'I Got Plenty Of Nothing,' plus a remarkable cast led by four-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald (Ragtime, 'Private Practice'), Drama Desk nominee Norm Lewis (Les Misérables, Sondheim on Sondheim) and two-time Tony nominee David Alan Grier (Race, 'In Living Color').

The Gershwins' PORGY AND BESS comes to Broadway in a stirring new staging, featuring such legendary songs as "Summertime," "It Ain't Necessarily So," and "I Got Plenty Of Nothing," plus a remarkable cast led by four-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald (Ragtime, "Private Practice"), Drama Desk nominee Norm Lewis (Les Miserables, Sondheim on Sondheim) and two-time Tony nominee David Alan Grier (Race, "In Living Color"). Today, the company met the press and treated the crowd to a performance preview. BroadwayWorld was there and brings you a first look at the performances below!

In the video below, members of the cast and creative team of Broadway-bound PORGY AND BESS discuss with PBS the changes made by director Diane Paulus and book-writer Suzan-Lori Parks. They address the history of the opera and that though some people have always viewed this show as racist, Audra McDonald (Bess) adamently shares why that is exaclty what the show is not. Both Diane Paulus and Suzan-Lori Parks talk about the controversy that has surrounded this revamped musical. They reveal why this is an acceptable version of the show, even for purists and die-hard Gershwin fans. Click below to chck it out!

It was announced last week that the Broadway-bound production of THE GERSHWINS' PORGY AND BESS, which played a record-breaking, sold out engagement at the American Repertory Theater, will play a 26-week limited run at the Richard Rodgers Theatre (226 West 46th Street, between 8th Avenue and Broadway). Here's a glimpse at some more production footage from the A.R.T. run!

American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) opened its 2011-12 season with The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess, by George Gershwin, DuBose and Dorothy Heyward, and Ira Gershwin on August 31. The adaptation by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks and Obie Award-winning composer Diedre L. Murray, directed by A.R.T. Artistic Director Diane Paulus, with choreography by Ronald K. Brown, began previews on August 17. The production will begin previews at the Richard Rogers Theatre on December 17, 2011 in anticipation of a January 12, 2012 Broadway opening.