Guest Blogger: Caitlin Abraham

We were searching for a way to make the romance and the joy feel more potent coming from this place of darkness,' he said. 'Even the cast moving all of the pieces in and out, building scenes, gives you a sense of the people of Paris rebuilding their city. So then it was about, how do we do that but make it move seamlessly and beautifully and feel like the city itself is waltzing in and out, off the stage?' - Christopher Wheeldon, CBS News, March 15, 2015

First Preview - first American audience! The excitement was palpable at the Palace Theater on Friday, March 13th, with bright expectant faces both backstage and in the front of house. After weeks of incubation, performing live is a tremendous exchange of energy; a conversation we as a company are so ready to have! Lines that perhaps we've grown accustomed to bloom clever and fresh again when we are stopped by laughter. To hear the audience sigh after a brief pas de deux between a returned soldier and his love, makes us feel connection - it's only the opening ballet, and they're with us! A moment later they gasp at a more graphic portrait of war and collaboration with the enemy - it's still only the opening ballet, and we've established our show's potency. Having achieved their trust, we stand together at the perfect jumping off place for a fine night of theater.

How are cast members supporting each other during 10-out-of-12's? (In case you're unfamiliar with the term, An American in Paris has been working 10 out of 12 scheduled hours this past week at the Palace Theatre. This is a customary, if not notorious, phase of teching a Broadway show.) It's an intense week; there are long hours, frequent adjustments, and a lot of stopping and starting. But each day is incredibly rewarding. There's a lot of first time magic that happens in the theater during tech - you see lighting cues that transform a scene, dazzling new costumes, projections and effects; and the show changes from barebones to stunning before your eyes.

Who is the company of AN AMERICAN IN PARIS? Included among us are 12 thrilling Broadway debuts; 6 who come straight from ballet companies; and 6 who previously danced with US and European ballet companies, Alvin Ailey or the Radio City Rockettes. 20 of our cast members are jubilantly back on Broadway, and every single performer was a part of the Chatelet production in Paris last fall. To quote one of the characters in our show, Adam Hochberg concludes, "Art should be a celebration," and An American in Paris joins the world of concert dance with the legacy of the Great White Way.