S’ Wonderful s’marvellous that An American in Paris is arriving in the West End next year and here are five reasons to be excited:
1.The music: in the press launch for the musical that took place yesterday, director and choreographer Christopher Wheeldon confirmed that alongside songs that appeared originally in the film will be lesser known Gershwin tunes appearing in the production – but which ones wasn’t confirmed. Songs already included in the musical include the timeless ‘I Got Rhythm’ and ‘Embraceable You’ – well renowned in the American Songbook.
2. The choreography: a wide range of dance styles will be displayed on stage including tap and ballet, so who better to make sure that the dancing is up to scratch than Christopher Wheeldon? Watching clips of the production and rehearsal at the press launch yesterday, audiences are in for a treat – whether they know their dance or not!
3. The cast: this London transfer can boast an extraordinarily talented cast – including Robert Fairchild as Jerry Mulligan and Leanne Cope as Lise Dassin, making their West End debuts by reprising their roles from Broadway. The cast will also include Haydn Oakley, Zoe Rainey, David Seadon-Young and Jane Asher. Having been treated to hearing some of the cast performing yesterday – there is definitely an endearing quality already to the performances that will hopefully go down well with audiences. From what Christopher Wheeldon said at the press launch, it was made very clear that it wasn’t about finding another Gene Kelly or Leslie Caron (stars of the original film) but rather finding a cast who could make their own impact on the roles, while retaining the spirit of the characters.
4. The feel-good factor: from everything that we know and have heard about the show already, means that the production has feel-good vibe surrounding it. Recreating the glamour of a lost era, there is a sense that this is going to be a light-hearted and entertaining evening to be enjoyed by audiences. The West End hit show Top Hat does spring to mind when watching the trailer.
5. The story: it is a very classic musical in terms of the simplicity but stylish nature of the plot. It follows the story of Jerry Muligan, an American GI who wants to succeed as painter, so arrives in Paris to follow his dreams. While there he has an encounter with a young dancer called Lise setting up a story filled with romance, hopes and dreams while in the most romantic city in the world. What is not to love about that?
An American in Paris will open for previews at the Dominion Theatre from 4th March 2017. To book tickets visit: Ticketmaster.co.uk, Discount Theatre.com, Last Minute.com, Theatre Tickets Direct.co.uk, Love Theatre.com, Theatre People.com and UK Tickets.co.uk.