With Box Office Strong, 'Porgy and Bess' to Extend Its Run February 9, 2012, 1:03 pm The producers of "The Gershwins" Porgy and Bess" on Broadway informed group sales ticket agents on Thursday that the run of the musical, which had been scheduled to end July 8, would extend through Sept. 30, according to an e-mail from the producers that was shared by two group sales agents. The e-mail cited "overwhelming popularity and demand" for the decision to extend the production, a musical adaptation of the famed 1935 opera by George and Ira Gershwin and DuBose and Dorothy Heyward. The show, which opened on Jan. 12 to generally positive reviews, was envisioned at one point to run for a year or longer, but the producers opted for a limited 26-week engagement because of concern that last year's controversy over artistic experimentation in the "Porgy and Bess" adaptation might put off theatergoers. Referring to the controversy, one of the lead producers, Jeffrey Richards, said in November that he and his colleagues "didn't know how it would play out," so they favored a limited run with the possibility of extending if tickets sold well. And they have. "Porgy and Bess" grossed $905,134 last week, its best week yet and a solid showing for the slow-selling winter months, for a total gross of $6.2 million over seven-and-a-half weeks of performances. The musical cost $8 million to mount on Broadway, according to the producers" filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The show stars the Tony Award winner Audra McDonald as Bess and Norm Lewis as Porgy. A spokeswoman for the show, reached on Thursday, said they would continue with the show through September.