Theatre

Porgy and Bess is an operatic drama by George Gershwin. It was first staged in 1935 (Erb). It revolves around the lives of African American residents in the fictitious place, Catfish Row in Charleston, South Carolina (Erb) in the 1920s. Among the colorful cast of characters in this ground-breaking all-Negro production (Standifer) is Sportin Life.

    Sportin Life, although not a central character in the story, probably contributes the most important pivotal part. His singular objective of running away with Bess, the female protagonist, proved to be valuable in the end. It set up the final scene that would leave audiences wanting more.

    So who is Sportin Life The very first time he comes out on stage his character is already defined. In the first act, when Crown and Bess arrived in the scene, Crown immediately approached Sportin Life to buy Happy Dust (Erb). It was clear who Sportin Life is in this community. He is the towns official drug dealer. People who needed a fix knew to come to him. Sportin Life accepted this role comfortably. He never even tries to hide what he does. And to those who are critical about his profession, Sportin Life looks at them with nonchalance.

    Bill Kenny in his review of the play in 2009 described Sportin Lifes character as charming and witty. Throughout the play Sportin Life would taunt and challenge other characters, mostly the women. They would be repulsed by him and yet would not entirely shut him out. He just has a way with people. He knows he is charismatic and uses it to his advantage. It takes a great deal to refuse him. Bess almost succeeded but in the end still fell victim to his influence.

    It takes a clever person to weave stories and situations to fit his needs. Sportin Life has this talent. He finds a way to make things work to his favor. The time Porgy was questioned about the death of Crown, Sportin Life knew it was time to pounce. He knew Bess would be vulnerable. He was right. He was patient and he got what he wanted in the end.

    When Sportin Life decides on something it becomes his singular motivation. From the beginning it was obvious that he was after Bess. He sought every chance he can get to make his feelings known to her. To say the least, Sportin Life is persistent. With Bess he never gave up until she said yes. Every time he was left alone with her, he would persuade her to run off to New York with him. Bess would always say no. However, Sportin Life knows better. He even told her that men in her life come and go but he will always be around (Erb). He knows being relentless will eventually succeed.

    Among the many interesting characters in Catfish Row, no one is as loud as Sportin Life. He is not afraid to make his opinions heard, even when it can be offending to others. In one scene he publicly lectures about the advantages of being a skeptic. This caught the ire of Serena who is ever self-righteous.

In another scene he ridicules the fears of his neighbors about the impending storm. In both occasions he was chastised by what he says but does not even show remorse. He simply brushes his neighbors opinions about him.

    Sportin Life is opportunistic. He even uses tragedies of other people to his advantage. He knows how to tap the vulnerability of people to win them to his objectives. In many instances he could be felt observing the goings-on at Catfish Row and strikes at the most favorable time. In a brawl he does not join in with the men in fight. Instead he searches an unknowing female companion who fears the situation. He offers her a fix. He is smart this way. He convinces his neighbors they need him more than he needs them.

    The resident Happy Dust trader of Catfish Row is also a free-spirited man who does not take anything seriously (Kenny). Life is a game to him. This is probably why he is named Sportin Life. He simply coasts through his days, always trying to get the better off his friends and neighbors. Even his attraction towards Bess is a game. He loves the hunt more than the person.

    Sportin Lifes does not build on relationships. He sees others as business opportunities and merely keeps them around as long as he still has use for them. His relationships can be described as superficial at best. When Crown, his most loyal customer, died, Sportin Life just laughed. He did not even have an ounce of grief to offer. In his mind, Crown was his best client but he is dead. It is time to move on to the next.

    If it were not for his flaky ways, Sportin Life can be deduced as a very dark character. He can be considered a hopeless case. He is set on his ways and he will not change. He knows he is smarter than most (Kenny) and will not listen to anyone.

At face value there is not one redeeming factor about him. The only thing that draws people to him is his humor. He is mercilessly funny. He is pleasure personified.

Porgy and Bess is a simple story about African American life. It talks about love, determination, and loyalty, among other things. Imbedded in this rich portrayal of the struggles and victories of the residents of Catfish Row is a bright character called Sportin Life.

Sportin Life is playful, unrelenting and irreverent most times. He preys on the misfortunes of others. He is selfish and uses people only to further his designs. He may not be rough but he is equally vicious. He undermines people and manipulates them. He does not care who gets hurt in the process as long as he achieves his goal.

As terrible as he may seem, Sportin Life is a very interesting. He is always driven to accomplishing what he set out to do. Even when things look bleak for him, he never gives up. Bill Kenny said it best when he described the character in 2009. He said Sportin Life is set apart because he is determined and is bound to triumph against all odds.