Continuing the online series of Musicals being shown on YouTube's 'The Shows Must Go On' channel whilst the country's theatres remain dark, this weekend's offering was a recording of the 2017 London West End production of the Gershwin classic, 'An American In Paris'.
Since the middle of March (with an all too brief and somewhat pointless respite in between) our country has been in lockdown and our theatres closed. For those, like myself, who are so used to theatre being an integral and essential part of our everyday lives, this has been tough, and some small pleasure has been taken from the amount of online content that has flooded our computer screens these last few months. The quality and diversity of such offerings has different drastically, but every once in a while one shines brighter than the rest.. a true gem of a production that it transcends the mundane, and you sit, glued to the computer, as if transfixed, lapping up every single tiny nuance, every move, every breath from everyone on that stage behind your screen. Two hours and 20 minutes later it was gone, all over, and so what did I do... get myself a cup of tea, sit down and watch it all over again! Yes, this production of 'An American In Paris' was that good.
An American In Paris started out life in 1928 as a piece of orchestral jazz-influenced classical music by George Gerschwin, which was soon picked up and turned into a ballet. It was then made the basis of the 1951 film, for which more Gershwin music (and Ira Gershwin lyrics) were composed which starred Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron. The current production of the stage musical was written by Craig Lucas, basing much of show from that film, and it is still as fresh and alive today as it was almost 100 years ago.
The story surrounds an American GI who decided to stay in Paris and not go home after helping to liberate the city from the Nazis at the end of the Second World War. His name is Jerry (Robert Fairchild) and he finds himself in a cafe where he meets a brooding and moody composer / pianist who has also decided to stay put and chance his luck instead of going back home to the States. This is Adam (David Seadon-Young). He is giving lessons to a young, well-to-do, would-be song-and-dance man, Frenchman Henri (Haydn Oakley), and as the three strike up a friendship they also fall in love with, and woo, the same girl, Lise (Leanne Cope). This is not the conventional love traingle, but more like a triangle within a triangle, and yet, despite keeping the story light and comedic being the name of the game, this is a very emotive and dramatic story too, especially with the backdrop being a newly liberated Paris, and a place where no-one truly trusts anyone, there are still spies and what they have undergone cannot ever be undone or unseen.
There is a slightly modern feel to this production, which works in its favour; and everything about the show is absolutely spot on. The costumes, the lighting, the brilliant set (I loved the animated sketches), the swift scene changes, the music (MD - John Rigby), and of course the impeccable and stunning choreography and direction (Christopher Wheeldon) performed by a top notch and wonderful cast.
This is pure Musical Theatre, and just what the doctor ordered to take us out of our lockdown blues! Not only was this production one of the best shows I have seen online since the beginning of March, it is also one of the best Musicals I have ever seen...live, online or otherwise!
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 28/11/20
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