Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy
The Broadway touring production of An American in Paris is every inch a dance lovers’ musical. Replete with countless moments of virtuosic movement beyond the climactic, well-known pas de deux, the production does stunning service to George and Ira Gershwin’s avant-garde score. The delight of Christopher Wheeldon’s choreography lies in the seamless melding of balletic and jazz vocabulary. Here the soaring, romantic grandeur of a traditional form meets the fun, chutzpah and subversion of a form on the rise during the musical’s 1945 setting. It’s an apt metaphor for the tension of cultures meeting, mingling, fighting, loving and forgiving in the wake of World War II.
Adding to the sheer joy of movement is the lush visual spectacle. Bob Crowley’s set design is dazzlingly dynamic. Large trompe-l’œil set pieces glide in and out representing the angled buildings at Paris’ heart. The ease of their manipulation perfectly evokes the winding streets of the arrondissements and the sense of being happily lost in them. Projections by 59 Productions throw the city’s rich history of visual art into stark and literal relief. On many occasions, settings are “sketched” before our eyes on the scrim behind the action.
Performatively, American is also a spectacle. The characters are the broad archetypes of an era past, but are mostly entertaining and likeable. Jerry refusing to take no for an answer in his initial courtship of Lise and insisting she be called by a “happier” American name leaves a sour taste, but it’s likely an accurate representation of the times. Supported by an impeccable dance ensemble, the principals all do their characters justice. Allison Walsh (Lise) is every bit the prima ballerina concealing a tragic past and McGee Maddox (Jerry) astounds with his high kicks, schmaltzy voice and Marx brothers-esque physical humor. Matthew Scott’s Adam, the narrator and Gershwin stand-in, is hapless but admirable—the ever underappreciated lover whose art proves to be his only faithful mistress. Several supporting actors lend the show a great deal as well. As heiress Milo Davenport, Kirsten Scott steals many scenes with her Katherine Hepburn cadences and dry humor. Ben Michael’s Henri also charms with his unwitting artistic failings and emergent understanding of the true nature of love.
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Coming in at over two-and-a-half hours and featuring extended sequences of lyric- and dialogue-free choreography, this is not a musical for the faint of heart. It is a complete immersion in an imagining of the City of Lights conceived for the neon lights of Broadway.
Through July 1 at Marcus Center for the Performing Arts Uihlein Hall, 929 N. Water St. For tickets visit marcuscenter.org.
