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Photo: Courtesy of pixabay.com
A man walks onto the broadway stage and begins playing the piano.
“When you think of Paris, what comes to mind?” he says.
Romantic, lively, sensual that’s what comes to mind. An American in Paris embodies all of the ideas that we associate the city with.
The musical was composed by Gershwin who was inspired by his time spent in Paris in the 1920’s. It became one of his “most famous works,” according to An American in Paris’s website. It was adapted into a movie by Arthur Freed in 1951. It starred the extraordinary Gene Kelly, and won six academy awards.
Main characters Robert Fairchild (Jerry) and Leanne Cope (Lise) steal the show in their praised dancing and love affair that makes us want to run away with them. Both heavily trained ballet dancers, their flawless technique is hard to miss.
The first time we fall in love with Lise’s dancing is when she is auditioning for a prestigious dance company in Paris. Six mirrors surround the dancers, and Lise stands out wearing a purple leotard. Her elongations in every movement are not only aesthetically pleasing, but are intrinsic in the quality of her movement.
Jerry is a character that is every woman’s dream. He is an American soldier who stays in Paris after World War II in an effort to pursue his dreams as an artist. We love him in his attempt to steal Lise’s heart, and we follow him in every step of the way. (Yes, step because most of the time he’s dancing) Jerry swoons over Lise, following her to the jewelry store she works at where he makes a big commotion and eventually sways her into meeting him by the river. The stage is lit by pastel colors and they are sitting on a bench. Jerry attempts to romanticize Lise telling her to forget about the war and all the chaos around them. This is a bonding moment for Lise and Jerry. We feel the awkward tension of their first kiss as Jerry leans in and pecks Lise. Lise is confused and says, “I thought we were just friends.” We fall in love with Jerry’s charisma once again as he explains to her that good friends should be able to not only kiss once a day, but twice a day.
Towards the end Lise has to choose between a man who she is marrying for security (Henri), and the man who she truly loves (Jerry) Not only are there two men who are in love with her, but three, as Jerry and Henri’s friend (Adam) also swoons over Lise. The one time where we as audience members stray away from the cliche is when Jerry reveals Lisa’s background story. (I won’t reveal this for you, you have to see it for yourself)
Nevertheless, we love the musical because of Jerry and Lise and for the enchanting dream-like Parisian setting. Gershwin’s objective for this particular composition was to, “. . . portray the impression of an American visitor in Paris as he strolls about the city and listens to various street noises and observes the French atmosphere. An American in Paris does just that.
For more information on tickets click here.
-by Samantha Rice