An American in Paris, the iconic Broadway show, supported by TF1, LCI and HD1

An American in Paris, the iconic Broadway show, is being restaged for the start of the 2014-2015 season and will be world premiering at Théâtre du Châtelet from November 22 to January 4, 2015.

TF1, LCI and HD1 are supporting the exceptional event.

Bucking the dominant trend, An American in Paris is not a Broadway show that was adapted for the cinema to reach a wider audience. It was high time this iconic work made the transition to the stage. Jean-Luc Chopin and Broadway producers Van Kaplan and Stuart Oken have finally made that happen.

The success of Rhapsody in Blue in 1924 allowed George Gershwin to travel to Europe and meet a number of composers that he admired during a stay in Paris. Stravinsky, Ravel, Poulenc and Milhaud gave the American musician their recognition and encouragement. An American in Paris, composed in 1928, is a 20-minute symphonic poem hailed by the critic Isaac Goldberg as being an “American Afternoon of a Faun”.

In 1950, Hollywood producer Arthur Freed had the idea to make a film based on An American in Paris. As he would later do with Singin' in the Rain, he took a set of existing songs by George and Ira Gershwin and crafted a story line to go with them. The story focuses on an American GI, Jerry, an exuberant, fun-loving painter in Montmartre, who meets Lise, a young shop girl. Lise, however, is the girlfriend of Henri, a singer of popular songs. The feelings of the characters, ranging from love and enjoyment to disappointment and the blues, culminate in a ballet where the couple reunites. This dance sequence became one of the most famous in the history of the Hollywood musical. Directed by Vincente Minnelli, the legendary musical director having created The Band Wagon, Brigadoon and Gigi, the film went on to win six Oscars.

Production: Théâtre du Châtelet and Pittsburgh CLO in agreement with Elephant Eye Theatrical.

The show will make its Broadway debut at Palace Theater in March 2015.

More information

Eager to begin his life anew after the brutality of combat, World War II Army veteran Jerry Mulligan chooses newly-liberated Paris as the place to make a name for himself as a painter. With the assistance of fellow ex-pat Milo Davenport, a wealthy American with a past she wishes to forget, Jerry’s life becomes complicated when he meets Lise, a young Parisian shop girl with her own secret. Soon it becomes clear that Jerry’s friends Adam, a Jewish American composer, and Henri, a Parisian aristocrat, are also vying for Lise’s love. The romantic tangle can only be untied through the miracle of dance set to some of the greatest music and lyrics ever written. A classic American film about young souls in Paris has been reimagined for the 21st century stage.

Cast

Music and lyrics: George and Ira Gershwin

Book: Craig Lucas

Director and choreographer: Christopher Wheeldon

Musical score adaptation: Rob Fisher

Sets and costumes: Bob Crowley

Lighting: Natasha Katz

Sound: Jon Weston

Animation and screening: 59 Productions

Musical direction: Brad Haak

Arrangements: Christopher Austin

Dance arrangements: Sam Davis

Casting: Telsey + Company / Rachel Hoffman C.S.A.

Jerry Mulligan: Robert Fairchild

Lise: Leanne Cope

Madame Baurel: Veanne Cox

Milo Davenport: Jill Paice

Adam Hochberg: Brandon Uranowitzse

Henri Baurel: Max von Essen

Orchestra: Ensemble Instrumental du Châtelet

More informations :

https://billetterie.chatelet-theatre.com/selection/event/date?productId=410961425