An American in Paris by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin

An American in Paris

Music and Lyrics by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin

Book by Craig Lucas

Sung in English with French and English surtitles
Duration: approx. 2h50′ with one intermission*

Cast

Musical Director Wayne Marshall
Stage Director and Choreographer Christopher Wheeldon
Collaboration with director and choreographer Dontee Kiehn
Set and Costume Designer Bob Crowley
Lighting Designer Natasha Katz
Sound Designer Jon Weston
Video Designer 59 Productions

With a cast of Broadway and West End artists
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande

About

After an absence of several years, the American musical returns to the Grand Théâtre stage with Gershwin and his American in Paris: three artists after the same muse… In bohemian post-war Paris, who will win the heart of the beautiful dancer Lise: Jerry, the former GI who’s trying to make a living from his painting; Adam the kind, impecunious pianist; or Henri, the music-hall star? Such is the plot of the unforgettable film by Vincente Minnelli which landed in cinemas in 1951. A virtuoso Gene Kelly – who also choreographed the dance scenes – and a brimming-with- freshness Leslie Caron burst from the screen in this homage to George Gershwin: because wasn’t the famous composer and conductor also himself a painter? In addition to the eponymous 19-minute symphonic poem in which Gershwin depicts his impressions as an American tourist in Paris, the soundtrack also features the third movement of his Piano Concerto in F major, and other songs of his that have become standards, including I Got Rhythm with its jazzy syncopations, the languorous S’Wonderful, and the counter-Depression anthem, I’ll Build a Stairway to Paradise.
While the feature film’s incredible success (six Oscars!) quickly led to the idea of a stage adaptation, the project lay dormant for over half a century. It wasn’t until 2014 that the world premiere of An American in Paris finally took place… in Paris, at the Théâtre du Châtelet, in a production by the star of the British and American dance scenes, Christopher Wheeldon.
Trained at the Royal Ballet in London, and a former principal of New York City Ballet, Wheeldon has managed to modernise the film’s dramaturgy while remaining faithful to it, asserting his own style while paying homage to the legendary choreography of Gene Kelly, and also of French and American masters of the 1950s such as Roland Petit and Jérôme Robbins. Alongside Bob Crowley for set and costumes, Natasha Katz for lighting and composer Christopher Austin for orchestration – all of whom won Tony Awards in 2015 – Christopher Wheeldon has delivered a refreshingly optimistic show. Without ever descending into corniness, this American in Paris sounds as a hymn to the return of joie de vivre after dark times.
After more than 600 performances on Broadway, a whole year on the London stage, and numerous tours to the United States, Asia and Europe, this talented troupe of performers equally adept at singing, dancing and acting are finally setting their suitcases down in Geneva, and indeed Switzerland, for the first time. Rip-roaring rhythms, on point choreography, and a happy ending just the way we like them… Under the baton of the charismatic Wayne Marshall, this masterful score is performed by no less than full-strength Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. An end-of-year fireworks display on the Grand Théâtre stage, before it closes for work on its machinery: who could ask for anything more?