‘An American in Paris’: Magnifique

POSTWAR PARIS, WITH SUBLIME GERSHWIN SCORE: ‘An American in Paris’ is one of the season’s best musicals. Photo: Matthew Murphy

AN AMERICAN IN PARIS
Book by Craig Lucas
Music & lyrics by George Gershwin & Ira Gershwin
Directed & choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon
Palace Theatre
1564 Broadway at 47th Street
(877) 250-2929
http://www.AnAmericaninParisBroadway.com

By David NouNou

When West Side Story opened, one was witness to the dawn of a new form of musical. Yes, it was the story of a boy meets girl, but it was interpreted through a masterful score and propelled by the pulsating movement of Jerome Robbins’ dance. And so it is with An American in Paris; the fusion of the Broadway musical and ballet, set to the sublime music and lyrics of the Gershwin Brothers’ songbook, is an evening of pure enchantment. Forget what you know about the movie, because Christopher Wheeldon, the director and choreographer, has truly reinvented a new, old-fashioned-style musical. He has blended conventional choreography with ballet and come up with the fluidity of dance. Sure, ballet was used in other musicals like Oklahoma and Carousel, but only in small doses. Here it is this fluidity of dance that propels the story forward.

Still set in Paris, the time now is 1945 and the end of the Second World War. Jubilation is slowly coming back to the streets of Paris and Jerry Mulligan (Robert Fairchild), an aspiring artist, decides to remain in Paris and is befriended by Adam Hochberg (Brandon Uranowitz), an aspiring composer (the Oscar Levant role in the movie), and Henri Baurel (Max von Essen), a wannabe singer, and all three are in love with Lise Dassin (Leanne Cope). This is the framework of this musical; to tell you more would spoil the joys that await you. The one drawback of the musical is the book by Craig Lucas, and the forced obligatory humor that has to be injected into a serious musical at various interludes, when dancing stops and speaking begins.

There are a myriad of pleasures that await the viewer. I will start with the most obvious: the Gershwin songbook. Here is a feast to gorge on, thanks to Rob Fisher, who arranged and supervised the musical score. The visuals are a ballet unto themselves. The sets by Bob Crowley and the projection design by 59 Productions, melding into each other with the enchanting lighting by Natasha Katz, are absolutely breathtaking

Robert Fairchild, a principal dancer with the NYC Ballet and making his Broadway debut, almost makes you forget Gene Kelly and totally owns the part of Jerry Mulligan, the artist/American in Paris. His dancing set to Gershwin melodies is magical and uplifting. His body just floats through the air. Leanne Cope, in the Leslie Caron role as Lise, is charming but her part is less demanding and comes to life in the finale.

Now for the comedic roles: Max von Essen finally has broken through to finally claim major recognition. As Henri Baurel, the Frenchman, replete with a French accent and for comic relief destroying American idioms, is also infatuated with Lise. He manages a show-stopping number with “I’ll Build A Stairway To Paradise”…ohhh-la-la. In the Oscar Levant role, now a composer/voice of reason and narrator with comic relief, is Brandon Uranowitz as Adam Hochberg, a man who gets his inspiration to compose through his love for Lise.

I would strongly urge and advise people who are not into ballet or have a fear of sitting through it to dismiss those old phobias, and just go appreciate a “ ‘S Wonderful” score and the magic of this new form of dance on Broadway.

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MAKING ONSTAGE MAGIC: Leanne Copy & Robert Fairchild in ‘An American in Paris.’ Photo: Angela Sterling

FUSION OF THE BROADWAY MUSICAL & BALLET: The company of ‘An American in Paris.’ Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘AMERICAN IN PARIS’ IS A TRIUMPH: Robert Fairchild. Photo: Angela Sterling

A VISUAL FEAST: Another great production number in ‘An American in Paris.’ Photo: Matthew Murphy

CUTTING-EDGE CHOREOGRAPHY: (left to right) Robert Fairchild, Brandon Uranowitz, Max von Essen & the company of ‘An American in Paris.’ Photo: Matthew Murphy

JERRY MULLIGAN & LISE DASSIN: Robert Fairchild & Leanne Cope. Photo: Matthew Murphy

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published April 17, 2015
Reviewed at press performance on April 16, 2015