An American in Paris
An American in Paris : Forgetting and remembering When An American in Paris returned to the mainstream in 2015 with a new musical stage show, it had been over sixty years since the release of the original 1951 film, and seventy years since the year the story is set (1945). When stories and shows are revived or redone I always wonder “why now?” and “why this?” For An American in Paris it wasn’t necessarily being brought back for a particular commemorative purpose, but more because the team thought there was another way to do it, and they wanted to bring that to life. The musical features the same story and characters of the film, much of the same music by Gershwin, and all the dancing you could want. (In fact, it expands the musical and dance wealth of the story by creating new numbers.) But the change which is most curious to me is how it handles history. The story is set in Paris in 1945, in the aftermath of the Second World War. The musical gives us our leading man Jerr...