Porgy and Bess by George Gershwin, the play that became "a black musical"

Porgy and Bess symbolizes the end of the black musical tradition that flourished in the early part of this century. The play showed the height of white appropriation of what had previously been a black cultural form. All the creative talent backstage was white. This development had been occurring slowly, throughout the 1920's, but black artists had often worked in a variety of creative capacities. 'Porgy and Bess' became a 'black musical' in its most …

…been thriving, the Gershwin show would have encouraged other producers, writers, and composers to experiment further. But Gershwin's show was yet another failure in a dying genre. If the Theater Guild and acclaimed composers could not market a black-performed musical show, what hope could there be for others? In this sense, Porgy and Bess marked the bottom in the history of black musical comedy, symbolizing the end of tradition in black musical theater on Broadway.