An American in Paris NYC Reviews and Tickets

"The city of light is ablaze with movement in the rhapsodic new stage adaptation of “An American in Paris.” This gorgeously danced — and just plain gorgeous — production 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."
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"With its odd combination of dour outlook and joyful movement, and its very tasteful corralling of the giddy Gershwin songs from disparate sources that constitute its score, the show is a Broadway unicorn...The attempt to merge dance storytelling with musical-theater storytelling may not always be satisfying but especially at a time when more conventional musicals aspire to the condition of high-speed sledgehammers, it is a delight to relax into a show with a dreamier pace."
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"If playwright Craig Lucas' book scenes at times seem over-complicated, and some of the songs feel shoehorned in rather than integral to the plot, that's a small price to pay. When the music is this glorious, who's complaining? And perhaps it's inevitable that when the many and varied dance interludes convey such soaring romance, dialogue scenes can sometimes seem an impediment. But an awkward transition or two can't diminish the pleasures of a show that's one long sustained swoon."
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"Any one of Wheeldon’s dances packs more content, smarts, and finesse than practically all the book scenes put together...When you can convey so much through pure physical expression—with a slight assist from Gershwin’s “Second Rhapsody” and “Cuban Overture”—words seem somehow insufficient. And Craig Lucas’ plodding, paint-by-numbers-style script is, regrettably, especially insufficient."
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"This is what musical-comedy dance can look like when it’s made by a choreographer who knows how to do more than just stage a song...Not since “West Side Story” has dance been used to such overwhelming effect on Broadway...“An American in Paris” is in no way for ballet buffs only: It is, first and foremost, an old-fashioned, big-hearted spare-no-expense Broadway romance. That it is also a masterpiece of theatrical dance is sweet icing on an already tasty cake."
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"Visually sumptuous and musically rapturous – and really, what more could you ask for? – the show has so many charms. And yet, "An American In Paris" is fabulous looking but vacant. It’s a dance show that features some wonderful dancing yet never takes flight. It’s lifeless at the center."
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"An airy, gentle caress of a show, “An American in Paris” is a welcome oddity on Broadway. Based on the 1951 movie, this musical stars two classically trained dancers — directed by dancer-turned-choreographer Christopher Wheeldon. What those three bring is often swooningly beautiful...The downside of this elegance is that when the production needs pep and razzmatazz, it’s in short supply...But when those two are onstage, they make you believe in love — and the power of dance — all over again."
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"Guiding his first musical, Wheeldon shows a vibrant vision and buckets of imagination, transforming the 1951 film that inspires the show...“An American in Paris” is at its best whenever it’s in motion, which is often. Occasionally the show stubs its toes on corny jokes and book scenes that could use a bit more finesse, such as Jerry’s clunky wartime reflections. That’s nitpicking — just a bit of minor turbulence during this lighter-than-air ride."
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"What also sets it apart are its intricate ballet sequences, exceptional music supervision, a dazzling design scheme and an unusually somber book by playwright Craig Lucas...Lucas stresses the cultural tensions in postwar Paris, bringing up the painful stains of Nazi occupation...Though heavy-handed and drawn out, he deserves credit for trying to add depth to the film...Regardless of the book, the music is glorious, the visuals are innovative and the performances are top-rate."
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"The dancing s'wonderful; the music s'marvelous; I was dazzled by the scenery, even if it was a little too busy. But I didn't feel the love. And that's a problem for a show that's billed as a romance....Though very nicely acted by a supporting cast of stage veterans, Craig Lucas's book gets bogged down with too many complicating subplots...on its toes, "An American In Paris" is glorious. But when the dancing stops, it falls disappointingly flat."
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"If "An American in Paris" fails as an integrated musical, it soars as choreography, and ought to be seen, admired, and appreciated as such. By marshaling dance as few others have on Broadway in recent memory, Wheeldon has provided us a jolting reminder of the incomparable, incalculable power of dance to speak of our deepest longings and agonies when words and even lyrics cannot."
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"The musical, visually beautiful though structurally thin and frequently shaky, delivers this nostalgic charm against a gorgeous backdrop of a post-war Paris...The final product feels to be a patchwork musical, indulging us with visual spectacles and beloved melodies at the expense of cohesive musical storytelling...Those seeking a nostalgic evening of George and Ira Gershwin's music will find much to love, and the show is a must-see for anyone with a passion for ballet."
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"In most cases the songs don’t make much sense and sometimes feel like they’ve been forced upon the scenes only to feature as many of them as they could... While it’s impossible to dislike 'An American in Paris,' it must be said that the show coasts on the familiarity of the songs and the stunning choreography which sometimes makes one wonder if it would’ve worked best as a full on ballet rather than a Broadway musical."
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"The show has a glorious Gershwin score going for it, not to mention exquisitely conceived and executed ballet numbers…But it’s the characters and their stories that elevate this show beyond mere musical extravaganza…The story unfolds with great finesse…The show looks as good as it sounds…The creators show they understand why people go to musicals— to be moved and dazzled with equal force. 'An American in Paris' is as smart and spirited as it is spectacular."
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"Why does "An American in Paris" feel so fresh? First-time Broadway director Christopher Wheeldon has turned it into a modern ballet...it’s mesmerizing, unlike anything I’ve witnessed on Broadway before...While this is what makes An American in Paris special, it’s not the whole show. There are also traditional razzmatazz song-and-dance routines. There are scenes full of dialogue. There’s a plot. Some of playwright Craig Lucas’s choices are intriguing (some aren’t.)"
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""An American in Paris" is a fine and fanciful entertainment...It has sublime songs and dexterous dancing. ’S wonderful? ’S marvellous? ’S nearly. Where Wheeldon falters is in pacing and storytelling...At times, the action stalls while the actors move. But if you can ignore the stops and starts, there’s so much to enjoy in between, not least some of the Gershwins’ greatest hits."
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"Christopher Wheeldon's choreography for "An American in Paris", is so spectacular that you have to forgive anything else wrong with the production--and believe you me, there's plenty to forgive--and I mean plenty...As I say, you see this An American in Paris for the dancing. You don't see it for Craig Lucas's libretto...He's tossed aside almost everything else to do what he so often does in his plays: Wax pretentious while believing he's being deep substantive."
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"Wheeldon turns the movie’s spectacular “American in Paris” ballet into an abstract ballet, as if designed by Mondrian, and as if Gershwin’s music didn’t make specific references to individual sights and sounds as experienced by an American in Paris...Perhaps Wheeldon opted to go abstract for the finale because his storytelling in act one often makes you want to rewatch the movie to understand what’s going on."
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"Ravishing visuals, beautiful dancing, classic Gershwin songs, dandy performances and a pretty good story; this is a blessedly unfaithful Broadway version of the M-G-M film musical...The entire show truly dances along in Wheeldon’s exceptionally graceful staging. The generally dreamy quality with which Wheeldon imbues the production results in a thoroughly enchanting attraction that offers a refreshing change from the hard-driven nature of concurrent Broadway musicals."
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"Wheeldon has crafted a show that looks and sounds sumptuous throughout..."Paris" fares best when its talented cast is singing and dancing — which is, happily, a good deal of the time...The ballet sequences, not surprisingly, are the soaring high points. The number can't match the cinematic detail of the original, of course. But overall, it's a dazzling achievement in its own right."
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"There is an airy and dizzying quality to Christopher Wheeldon’s wonderfully imaginative production of "An American in Paris." It feels something like a first gasp of air after holding your breath for a long, long time. Broadway is currently awash in questionable movie-to-musical marquees, but a stage version of the 1952 Oscar-winning picture starring Gene Kelly feels like a foregone conclusion held in suspension. And over half a century later, the wait was worth every minute."
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"There are some shows where you linger a moment after the actors' curtain calls, reluctant to part company after sharing a swell evening. That was the feeling at "An American in Paris," a colorful, charming, dazzlingly danced adaptation of the great 1951 Gene Kelly movie. With its score of eternally lovely Gershwin songs, the show is a celebration of movement as an equal partner to song and dialogue in telling a story...In every way, "An American in Paris" offers a marvelous journey back in time."
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"There is nothing self-conscious about "An American in Paris." It’s dazzling and noisy in the best sense of an American musical. At the same time it puts a canny, majestic lift beneath the patter and pas de deux, as Paris is redeemed."
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"The fusion of the Broadway musical and ballet, set to the sublime music and lyrics of the Gershwin Brothers’ songbook, is an evening of pure enchantment. Forget what you know about the movie, because Christopher Wheeldon, the director and choreographer, has truly reinvented a new, old-fashioned-style musical…The one drawback of the musical is the book by Craig Lucas, and the forced obligatory humor that has to be injected into a serious musical."
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"'An American In Paris' presents a new and remarkably effective book and new, breathtaking choreography...Lucas’s narrative succeeds so well because it’s dramatically character-driven...It’s all a thoroughly effervescent delight...The production design only enhances the emotional destinies of the characters and dramatic peaks of choreography. These elements, like every aspect of 'An American in Paris,' are sustained in perfect balance by Wheeldon. C’est magnifique."
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"This season on Broadway features multiple musicals that are based on iconic films. One of the most sublime among them is surely "An American in Paris," helmed with panache by top director and choreographer Christopher Wheeldon. Gloriously inventive and balletic, it has an intriguing new book...Beneath the considerable pizazz, Wheeldon conveys with grace and style the heartfelt romance and emotional colors that keep us enchanted until the last beautiful note has been sung."
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"I did my best to focus on what was happening on-stage, but it was hard to find any of it compelling. Perhaps it deserves another chance given the circumstances but time and money are limited and there are other shows I’d rather give a shot. It was eye-opening in terms of how elements outside the actual production of the show can influence someone’s theater-going experience — if this was the ONE show I saw a year, or the first time I was taking a chance on Broadway, I’m not sure I’d go back."
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"Director/choreographer Christopher Wheeldon, who has worked with ballet companies worldwide, has created one of the most extraordinary and spectacular works for the musical theater I have seen in many years. Working with librettist, Craig Lucas, he has fashioned a book musical that is utterly alive with song and dance."
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"Inspired by the beloved 1951 film, Wheeldon has created what might best be described as a story ballet on steroids. Everything in this new musical moves — from the actors (two of whom just happen to be world class dancers), to the fabulously “choreographed” projection-enhanced sets and costumes...And even when the dialogue falls a bit flat, the story is in such perpetual motion that words seem almost beside the point. Dance is the only language really needed here."
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"Surreal collisions of song, dance and visual art capture the desires of young expats and Parisians to create something beautiful as they rediscover their city in the aftermath of World War II...It feels like two shows. One is a great ballet, the other an uneven musical...the book can be heavy-handed...These spoken scenes often give way to appealingly sung classics, but it's when dance is involved that the show truly takes off."
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"A visual, dance-driven Broadway story-telling creation that is gorgeous, enchanting, seamless and sophisticated. It is a tribute not only to the music of George and Ira Gershwin, but to the genius of director Christopher Wheeldon, and the performance abilities of a stellar cast."
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"Every so often a gem the likes of “An American in Paris” is brought from screen to stage, and for a moment you can stop asking why so many movies are made into musicals. With exquisite performances and aesthetics, this ballet-musical theater hybrid makes good on a title with Oscar-winning clout. The similarities don’t end there — but this adaptation goes its own way and then some, with an innovative approach to staging and a breathtaking melding of art forms."
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"There’s much gorgeous ballet to admire in choreographer Christopher Wheeldon’s Broadway directorial debut, set against attractive, painterly backdrops by Bob Crowley, but the overall effect is of a dance concert with a semiserious musical squeezed into the cracks...The leads are charming and the score’s divine, but mainly there’s middling singing and loads of dance. Hollywood made it look so easy, but simple amour can be hard to translate."
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"There is beaucoup beauty in Christopher Wheeldon’s ravishing production of “An American in Paris,” smartly but not slavishly adapted by Craig Lucas...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...an unorthodox transformation of a bright and cheerful All-American musical into an enchanting but more reflective and deeply moving experience."
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"Had this ambitious new musical fully committed to telling its story through the love of movement, especially movement that does not have to compete with digitized scenery drawing pictures of its own...then "American in Paris" would have touched the heart and soul more...But the doings of Nazis rarely make the right frame for a romance and this strange reluctance to let love explode all over the stage gets in the way of what is an aspirational fantasy that should make us all want to move to Paris."
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"To paraphrase from one of the many gorgeous Gershwin tunes: It's got rhythm...it's got music...and it's got superb dancers and colorful, eye-popping settings for them to strut their fleet-footed stuff. Bottom line: It's a Wow!...The dancing in this new An American in Paris is sublime. Add the lovely, ear-hugging Gershwin tunes, the stunning stage craft and performances — and what you've got is a theatrical sweetshop filled to the brim with delectable eye and ear candy."
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"From the first moments of "An American Paris," two things are clear...First, it is far more than just another Broadway remake of a Hollywood movie. And choreographer Christopher Wheeldon, in his theater-directing debut, has made something special...Just how extraordinary is unspooled all evening with exuberant, sweeping innovation, dark historical understanding and a big, smart heart. This is the most thrilling dance-driven musical since Twyla Tharp's wordless "Movin' Out" in 2002."
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"Thrilling in every way...This is one of those luxury Broadway treats – a lush, lavish and absolutely gorgeous evocation of the magic of long ago times and big dance extravaganzas...Vocally and musically, "An American In Paris" is all is needs to be – and more...A wonderful achievement and a real slice of the way things used to be on Broadway. Just a delight."
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"A truly thrilling new work of high class and polish, "An American in Paris" is the rare new musical aimed mostly at a discerning adult audience...The production achieves an integration of artistic and creative elements that is thoroughly realised...As the show progresses, the methods of storytelling blend to the point that it does not matter whether the plot is being advanced by text, lyrics or dance. The audience is completely absorbed in the world on stage."
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"Fairchild and Cope are beautifully paired, and it’s a visual feast to see the two of them float across the stage...You will find the journey very enjoyable and easy to follow thanks to flawless direction and choreography by Christopher Wheeldon...This marvelous cast and ensemble all take a leading role in this exquisite production that will leave you standing on your feet, violently clapping, smiling from ear to ear with tears rolling down your cheeks. Who could ask for anything more?"
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"Just like walking on cloud nine! The fear of getting dizzy quickly disappears as it’s replaced by exhilaration, thanks to the golden reputation and Gershwin’s music, which warms you up in no time...An American in Paris achieves a true miracle; by making the audience almost forget about the 1951 Vincente Minelli’s film starring Gene Kelly, while curiously enticing the desire to watch it again. It’s a hell of a pleasure."
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"It's a well-written book. The musical score is pure Gershwin. There are some great vocals. But that is not why people will flock to this musical — Its all about the dance — even the sets dance — things float, cross, move, flutter, sometimes all at the same time...This is not your typical Broadway musical — this is ballet set upon a Broadway stage, and it is simply remarkable...Come for the musical — stay for the ballet — and absolutely get tickets to this stunner of a show."
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"Bold, satisfying and witty...In routines such as I’ve Got Rhythm (which starts as a funeral dirge and becomes a life-enhancing whirl of movement) and I’ll Build a Stairway to Paradise (as grand and splashy as a Busby Berkeley extravaganza), Wheeldon writes a love letter to the great American musical itself."
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"A savvy, poetic cocktail of French chic and Broadway pizzazz is a perfect Christmas treat for the ballet-mad Parisians. Time will tell if this ambitious Franco-American co-production wows New York but it certainly deserves to become a repertoire standard...Craig Lucas’s wisecracking book fills out characters, changes names and shifts the story to the Liberation...I would beg, borrow or steal to see it all again."
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"An American in Paris is a true celebration, with twirling and sensibility that makes hearts beat and gives fidgety feet, but with the colors of today; a tighter, more shaded and demanding quality than the big Hollywood film of 1951."
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