An American In Paris – a ground-breaking collaboration between The Australian Ballet and GWB Entertainment – will open at Arts Centre Melbourne on Friday 18 March for a strictly limited season, after setting Brisbane alight with a season at QPAC that concluded on the weekend with packed houses and rave reviews.
“With its themes of triumph over adversity and romantic escapism, the lavish musical is wonderful entertainment and a tonic for the times.” – Limelight Magazine
Hailed as a tour de force for its inventive choreography, the four-time Tony Award®-winning Broadway musical tells the entrancing story of a young American soldier and a beautiful French girl, set against the iconic backdrop of the most romantic city in the world.
Inspired by the Academy Award®-winning MGM film, acclaimed director and choreographer Christopher Wheeldon brings the enchantment and magic of Paris alive on stage with popular songs by George and Ira Gershwin, including I Got Rhythm, S Wonderful, But Not For Me and They Can’t Take That Away From Me.
Broadway and West End leads Robert Fairchild and Leanne Cope reprise their show-stopping turns as the American GI Jerry Mulligan and the young Parisian dancer Lise Dassin in Australia, with two of the country’s leading lights Cameron Holmes and Dimity Azoury from The Australian Ballet, alternating in the lead roles.
Theatre royalty Anne Wood plays Madame Baurel, with David Whitney (The Merry Widow, West Side Story on Sydney Harbour) as Monsieur Baurel, Ashleigh Rubenach (Cry-Baby, Muriel’s Wedding: The Musical) as Milo Davenport, Jonathan Hickey (Sweeney Todd, Aspects of Love) as Adam Hochberg, and Sam Ward (The Ten Tenors, Jesus Christ Superstar) as Henri Baurel, plus a 33 strong ensemble of exceptionally talented dancers, singers and actors.
With a book by Pulitzer Prize finalist Craig Lucas, and Tony Award-winner Bob Crowley’s swoonworthy set and costume design, drawing inspiration from some of France’s most famous artists, An American In Paris opened to widespread critical acclaim at the Palace Theatre on Broadway in April 2015 after its world premiere at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. It has since gone on to tour London’s West End, Tokyo and Beijing.
The musical won four 2015 Tony Awards including Best Choreography for Christopher Wheeldon, four Drama Desk Awards, four Outer Critics Circle Awards, the Drama League Award for Best Musical, three Chita Rivera Awards and two Theatre World Awards. It was also included on the ‘Year’s Best’ lists of The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Entertainment Weekly, The New Yorker, the Associated Press and The Hollywood Reporter.
A rhapsodic combination of classic score, timeless love story, exuberant dance and sumptuous design, the production has captivated audiences and critics alike, with The Wall Street Journal declaring it “a masterpiece!”.
An American In Paris is produced in Australia by GWB Entertainment, The Australian Ballet, Stuart Oken, Van Kaplan and Roy Furman by special arrangement with Elephant Eye Theatrical & Pittsburgh CLO and Théâtre du Châtelet.
An American In Paris
State Theatre – Arts Centre Melbourne, 100 St Kilda Road, Melbourne
Season: 18 March – 24 April 2022
Bookings: www.artscentremelbourne.com.au
After its Melbourne season, An American In Paris will open at the Theatre Royal Sydney on 29 April 2022. For more information, visit: www.americaninparis.com.au for details.
Image: An American In Paris (Australian Cast) – photo by Darren Thomas