An American In Paris – a ground-breaking collaboration between The Australian Ballet and GWB Entertainment opened at the Arts Centre Melbourne on Friday 18 March for a strictly limited season.
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 in An American In Paris, 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.
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.
Melbourne My Style’s Melinda Sullivan attended Sunday evening and says, “This production is incredibly powerful and spellbinding, to say the least. A struggling artist in Paris triumphs over adversity when meeting a young French girl and through the most fluid movements of dance and incredible choreography we see the magic and romantic escapism unfold.
The show will leave you in a world of hope with heartfelt emotion in such unpredictable and uncertain times.
After finishing its Melbourne season on 24 April, An American In Paris will open its Sydney seasonat Theatre Royal Sydney on 29 April.”
Arts Centre Melbourne, State Theatre
Season Dates: Fri 18 Mar to Sun 24 Apr
Previews: Fri 18 Mar 7.30pm & Sat 19 Mar 2pm
Opening Night: Sat 19 Mar 7.30pm
Times: Tue 6.30pm, Wed 1pm & 7.30pm, Thu & Fri 7.30pm, Sat 2pm & 7.30pm,
Sun 1pm & 6pm
Tickets via https://americaninparis.com.au/
