An American in Paris

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An American in Paris

Full-Length Musical, Dramatic Comedy  /  4w, 5m plus ensemble

Music and Lyrics by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin
Book by Craig Lucas

Originally produced on Broadway by Stuart Oken, Van Kaplan & Roy Furman
By special arrangement with Elephant Eye Theatrical & Pittsburgh CLO and Théâtre du Châtelet

The romantic story of a young American soldier, a beautiful French girl, and an indomitable European city... all set to the immortal score from George and Ira Gershwin. 

Image: 2015 Broadway Production (Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade)

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    4w, 5m plus ensemble
  • Duration
    Duration
    More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Adaptation (Stage & Screen), Docudrama/History, Romantic Comedy
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Appropriate for All Audiences
Accolades
Accolades
  • Winner! Four 2015 Tony Awards, including Best Orchestrations
    Nominee: Eleven 2015 Tony Awards, including Best Musical
    Winner! Four 2015 Drama Desk Awards, including Outstanding Orchestrations
    Nominee: Twelve 2015 Drama Desk Awards, including Outstanding Musical
    Winner! Four 2015 Outer Critics Circle Awards, including Outstanding New Broadway Musical
    Winner! The 2015 Drama League Award for Outstanding Production of a Musical
An American in Paris

Details

Summary

Set in the French capital in the wake of World War II, An American in Paris tells the romantic story of a young American soldier, a beautiful French girl, and an indomitable European city – each yearning for a new beginning in the aftermath of international conflict. Inspired by the Academy-Award winning 1951 film, the new stage musical features a ravishing score by George and Ira Gershwin and a fresh, sophisticated book by Tony nominee and Pulitzer Prize finalist Craig Lucas.

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The show's timeless musical numbers include "I Got Rhythm," "'S Wonderful," "But Not For Me," "The Man I Love," "Shall We Dance?" and "(I'll Build A) Stairway To Paradise."

History
Inspired by the 1951 Academy Award-winning film, the stage musical An American in Paris opened at the Palace Theatre on Broadway in April 2015, after an engagement at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. The Broadway production ran for 623 performances and led to a successful West End production and US national tour.
  • Time Period 1940s/WWII
  • Setting Paris, 1945.
  • Features Period Costumes
  • Duration More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • Cautions
    • Mild Adult Themes

Media

“Superb...a riot of colour and movement, with irresistible dance routines and a wealth of Gershwin classics" - Michael Billington, The Guardian

“A breathtakingly fresh musical in which love and rebirth after war are embodied in ecstatic, transporting movement.” – The Hollywood Reporter

“Just plain gorgeous... pays loving tribute to the 1951 movie, to the marriage of music and movement, and to cherished notions about romance that have been a defining element of the American musical theater practically since its inception. Just about everything in this happily dance-drunk show moves with a spring in its step, as if the newly liberated Paris after World War II were an enchanted place in which the laws of gravity no longer applied. Even the elegant buildings on the grand boulevards appear to take flight.” – Charles Isherwood, The New York Times

“What really makes the show feel fresh is the context in which Lucas has reconceived it... deepening and darkening the material so it now seems genuinely relevant for our own war-torn age.” – Variety

An American in Paris weds music and movement, song and story with such exhilarating brio that you may find your own feet fidgeting under your seat before it’s over, and your heart alight with a longing to be swept up in the dance.” – The New York Times

“Sublime... exuberant... elegant... conveys with grace and style the heartfelt romance and emotional colors that keep us enchanted until the last beautiful note has been sung.” – Associated Press

"It’s got starlight, it’s got sweet dreams and, yes, it’s got rhythm too. You almost feel you couldn’t ask for anything more, but this Gershwin musical also has that indefinable something called grace, a lightness that would out-soufflé even Julia Child, and a joie de vivre that lifts it, and us, all night long.” – The Times

Videos

  • An American in Paris - Highlights youtube thumbnail

    An American in Paris - Highlights

  • An American in Paris - Trailer youtube thumbnail

    An American in Paris - Trailer

  • An American in Paris - Ogunquit Playhouse  youtube thumbnail

    An American in Paris - Ogunquit Playhouse

  • "I Got Rhythm" youtube thumbnail

    "I Got Rhythm"

  • An American in Paris - 2015 Highlights youtube thumbnail

    An American in Paris - 2015 Highlights

  • An American in Paris - Pas de Deux youtube thumbnail

    An American in Paris - Pas de Deux

Show more +

Photos

  • An American in Paris

    Image: 2015 Broadway Production (Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade)

  • An American in Paris

    Image: 2015 Broadway Production (Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade)

Music

Music Samples

  • Musical Style Classic Broadway
  • Dance Requirements Difficult
  • Vocal DemandsModerate
  • Orchestra Size Medium
  • Chorus Size Large

Licensing & Materials

  • Licensing fees and rental materials quoted upon application.

Music Rentals

Concord offers a full suite of resources to help you put on the show of a lifetime!

Authors

Ira Gershwin

Ira Gershwin

Ira Gershwin, the first songwriter to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize, was born in New York City on December 6, 1896. In 1917 The Evening Sun published his first song (“You May Throw All The Rice You Desire But Please, Friends, Throw No Shoes”). Four years later, Ira enjoyed hi ...

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George Gershwin

George Gershwin

George Gershwin was born in Brooklyn on September 26, 1898, and began his musical training when he was 13. At 16, he quit high school to work as a "song plugger" for a music publisher, and soon he was writing songs himself. "Swanee," as introduced by Al Jolson, brought George ...

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Craig Lucas

Craig Lucas

Craig Lucas is a American playwright, screenwriter, theatre director, musical actor, and film director. He is currently Associate Artistic Director at the Intiman Theatre in Seattle.

Born on April 30, 1951, and abandoned in a car in Atlanta, Lucas was adopted when he was eight ...

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