An American in Paris (musical)

An American in Paris
A time of hope. A city of dreams. A love story for the ages.
2015 Broadway poster
Music	George Gershwin
Lyrics	Ira Gershwin
Book	Craig Lucas
Basis	1951 film An American in Paris
Premiere	10 December 2014: Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris
Productions	2014 Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris 2015 Broadway 2017 West End

An American in Paris is a musical play inspired by the 1951 Academy Award winning film of the same name. It opened at the Palace Theatre on Broadway in April 2015, following an engagement at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. Incorporating songs from George and Ira Gershwin, the book is by Craig Lucas. The musical won several Tony Awards.

The Broadway production closed in October 2016. A US national tour opened in the autumn of 2016 in Boston, Massachusetts and a London production opened in March 2017.

Struck by a mysterious girl and ready to rebuild his life at the end of World War II, an American soldier, Jerry Mulligan, decides to stay in Paris and nurture his passion for painting. With a little help from kindred soul seekers Adam Hochberg, a composer and fellow veteran; and Henri Baurel, the son of wealthy French industrialists and wannabe song and dance man, they imagine a future brighter than the atrocities they’ve recently witnessed.

When Jerry is reconnected with the mysterious girl—a stunning French ballerina named Lise Dassin—he seems certain that he made the right decision. That is, until he discovers that she is the very same woman Adam and he have been encouraging Henri to propose to.

Meanwhile, Jerry makes the acquaintance of a headstrong American philanthropist, Milo Davenport, who, struck by his talent and good looks, ushers him into the Paris art scene exploding with new life and post-war energy.

Lise struggles to choose between her obligations to Henri and what she thinks might be her true love for Jerry. As each man comes to terms with his own fate, it’s revealed that Lise is beholden to Henri because he and his family saved her life during the occupation. Both she and Henri realize that it is time to let go.

When the curtain falls on the opening night performance of a ballet that will allow Lise to claim her place as a free and accomplished artist in France, she realizes that she is meant to be with Jerry. They reunite at the River Seine and walk off into the Paris night.